Tomorrow Dreams of Yesterday
by Spirrow
Summary: What happened to Trunks after he saved the future? Immerse yourself in Trunks' post-Android reality, where a chance encounter with an interesting alien race alters his destiny forever. This story has action packed fights, romantic themes, enjoyable original characters and an epic plot that will leave you wanting more. Chapter 18: "Break Through" is up!
1. Chapter 1: Yesterday Sleeps

Tomorrow Dreams of Yesterday: _A Future Trunks Fanfic_

**Chapter 1: Yesterday Sleeps**

Trunks pushed desperately against the cold, soggy ground. His fingertips left deep grooves in the mud as he feverishly clawed the earth. His muscles were on fire and he could barely keep his eyes open. A line of blood streamed from his mouth, dripping down his chin. He didn't have enough energy left in his body. He knew it wouldn't be long now.

They would never give him enough time to recover; those devils. All he could see in the darkness were their cold, soulless eyes. They were waiting for him. Their energy lasted forever, and so they had all the time in the world. He crawled forward an inch, slipping and falling face first into the mud. For a moment he could sense everything around him. The muscles in his neck did nothing to prevent his face from sinking deeper into the murky puddle. He used his last ounce of strength to turn his head to the side. With one eye still submerged, he glimpsed a dirty, blood-speckled orange dogi. He remembered the pain. He remembered what he was fighting for. His vocal cords stretched and contorted in an attempt to scream, but they were silent. His best friend and teacher, was dead, and he was next. The hollow scream echoed in his mind until it became deafening.

Trunks awoke from his slumber covered in beads of sweat. The linen around him was cold and soaked from contact with his skin. He sat up immediately, clutching the silk sheets like the reigns of a horse, breathing deeply. Darkness was all around him. Nightmares had become an all too familiar routine, even though that hellish reality was behind him now. It had been three years since he returned to his time to reclaim the future. Three years and they were still alive at night. Everyone suffered from nightmares about the androids once in awhile, but it wasn't the Androids that Trunks was afraid of anymore. It was the constant fear of a greater foe appearing, a foe that was stronger than he had become. Nightmares still found a place in his mind, because as a true warrior, he was never at peace.

He paused at the thought. Tired of sleep, he rolled out of bed and walked into the bathroom. The dim light slowly illuminated the room. He turned on the water and splashed his face. The sweat and water trickled down his brow and across his nose. For a moment he rested with both hands pressed against the cold, porcelain sink. Looking out the window, he saw that it was light outside. The busy world had already been awake for hours, living in a world no longer bound with fear; thanks to Trunks, of course. As usual, Capsule Corporation was up and running, and pioneering the reconstruction. After three years, only six months were left before the total reconstruction of the surrounding major cities would be complete. Life was so close to normal that most people forgot about the horrors of yesterday and focused on building a better here and now.

As he stood in the bathroom, staring at his refection in the mirror, Trunks wondered if he was the only one worried about tomorrow. He had seen too much destruction in his time to assume that he would live a happy life forever. It was because of that constant reminder that he had trained extensively on a strict regimen every day for the last three years. His power had increased tremendously, but the stronger he became, the more afraid he was of something appearing that was still twice as strong as he was, and so he never gave up. He wasn't even sure how strong he had become. For all he knew, he was the strongest creature in the universe. It ceased to matter. He remembered how incredibly unprepared he had been to take on Perfect Cell, and that was all he needed to know. Everyday he saw that white grin. With every punch thrown, he heard that spine tingling cackle, and every time he took a short break to rest, he felt that burning energy beam burst through his chest.

He thought maybe he would be able to defeat Cell at his current power level, but he couldn't be sure. He wasn't even sure if he had reached the level of Super Saiyan that far surpassed Super Saiyan, because he hadn't transformed in years. Sometimes he considered the possibility that maybe he could forget how if he ever needed to again, but that wasn't the issue. He knew how to be strong. His father had told him, just before he returned to his time.

He could distinctly recall Vegeta walking into the room at Capsule Corp. Trunks was quietly packing the last of his things before departure. Vegeta entered, as if he expected an invisible red carpet. He leaned against the wall behind Trunks. With his head tilted back, he spoke sternly with a touch of sarcasm.

"Leaving so soon?" It was obvious that the Saiyan prince was pretending not to care.

"Looks like it." Trunks continued to stare at his knapsack, happy that his father gave him the time of day, even if his pride prevented him from showing any sort of emotion.

"Well I can't say that I'm not relieved. You've brought almost nothing but bad news since the day you arrived."

"Almost?" Trunks smiled. Vegeta choked on his own words for a second that must have seemed like an eternity in hell. His eyes widened and his bottom lip curled.

"Don't get the wrong idea! I was trying to spare you out of decency. Don't twist my words."

"All right." Swinging his knapsack over a shoulder, he stood up and started to walk away.

"Don't walk away from me!" Trunks froze. He had to; his father was a true Saiyan prince. All Trunks could do was remember what Yamcha had said after the fight with Cell was over. His father tried desperately to avenge his death, even when it could have meant giving up his own life as well. He turned around slowly and looked at his father.

"I'm sor-"Vegeta cut him off.

"Don't apologize to me." For a moment there was silence, but the Saiyan prince spoke quickly to kill it. Even when he tried to thaw his icy heart, it still came down like snow. Gentle, but frozen.

"This is not over. You must never assume that _any _of this is over. Just because Cell has been defeated does not mean that my training is finished. A true warrior stays prepared, especially in times of peace. I suggest you do the same in your own world."

Trunks nodded, genuinely surprised by the content of the lecture. Vegeta used his silence and surprise as an opportunity to continue.

"A true Saiyan gains the most from training without being a Super Saiyan. Push yourself to the limit in your natural form; transform when you need to be the best." The message was stuck in Trunks' head like an open wound. This was the first actual piece of advice that Vegeta had intentionally given him, but he restrained his joy to a simple nod. Satisfied that he had provided ample fatherly advice, Vegeta walked out just as he had walked in.

Later that day, as Trunks was saying goodbye to his friends and walking towards his Time Machine, he caught a glimpse of his father in the distance. Vegeta lifted his left hand, holding up two fingers. It was just a simple gesture, even less personal than a wave. But in that one gesture, Vegeta had said _Goodbye son and good luck. I will always be with you_. Trunks held up two fingers in response, giving a stern smile, and everything following that moment became a blurry snapshot in time. His father was proud of him. That was enough.

Everyday after that, he pushed himself to his limits just to see how far beyond them he could go. To Trunks, training an entire day during times of peace was infinitely better than fighting for a second in times of war. That was the mantra that kept him going.

After the dust had settled three years ago, no one took credit for the destruction of the androids. All that was known came from an old man who witnessed a golden warrior save the day. Many stepped forward, trying to take the credit for Trunks' achievement. How ironic that the past would suffer a similarly tragic fate regarding the defeat Cell.

Trunks felt that if the time ever came, he would be the only protector that the Earth had left. It was for this reason that he needed to be the best. But he needed to start considering the future. What would become of the earth past his lifetime? Being the last Saiyan, starting a family seemed like the only answer to this problem. Besides, that was one thing that Bulma never let up on. She was constantly bringing nice young girls over the house for Trunks to meet. It was expected almost every other day. He knew that she was right, he just had to find someone on his own. He needed to find someone that could fill the empty space. The only love he had ever known was for his mother, Gohan, and his friends from the past. After a while he started to feel a deeper longing for companionship. He didn't even know what that was anymore. How was he supposed to know who he wanted once he found them?

After what seemed like an hour of staring at his own reflection in quiet contemplation, he decided to get dressed and go for a walk. Maybe the morning air could help him think straight. He slipped on a pair of yellow trousers and a black tank top with a large white CC logo on the back. He shuffled through many hangers in a large walk-in closet before grabbing a dark pink shirt with the word "BADMAN" written on the back. He put it on, buttoning it half way up. It was the first shirt he had ever seen his father wear, and as silly as it looked, he was proud to have it.

He looked at the clock and walked out the door. It was seven thirty-six. The morning air outside of the Capsule Corp. building was thick and warm. There was a silent breeze, mixed in with the morning sun. Trunks placed both hands in his pockets and headed towards the city. Walking a few miles into town was barely exercising to him. He considered it one of the perks of living.

It was on these quiet morning walks that he wondered about a lot of different things. Mostly curious thoughts about the Namekians of this time and the Dragonballs they possessed. Did those Dragonballs have the power to revive someone who had died more than one year ago? Would he ever be able to use them if he had too? Where was New Namek located any ways? It always turned into too many questions without answers.

He thought about the twisted fate of his world. He wondered why they never wished for a cure to Goku's heart virus twenty some years ago. He was thankful that the world was safe now, but he was completely alone to defend it. What would happen if he died trying to protect it? There would be no hope left. He had to find a solution to this problem or the nightmares might never stop.

His watch chimed. It was eight o'clock. The sun had just started warming up and he had almost reached his destination. He would also think about fate and destiny on these walks, and how they played a role in his journey to the past. Could he have somehow tipped the scales by travelling through time? After he came back he had the strangest feeling that his life was somehow different. In comparison it remained the least of his worries.

He made it into the heart of Pepper Town at half passed eight. He navigated the streets and instinctively walked in the direction of the Nawa Grocery. Ms. Nawa, a kind woman, had owned the shop since she was young. Luckily for her, when the Androids destroyed Pepper Town, the little store wasn't seriously damaged, so after their reign of control was over, she still had enough money left to make the proper repairs to stay operating. When Pepper town began reconstruction, she was the only grocery around that still sold perishable goods and for a while she ran a monopoly of the market. Even though she could have hiked up prices during those vulnerable times, she never did. She made sure that everyone got what they needed, even if she needed to limit what she sold to others.

Trunks met her a little over a year after returning from the past. In his mind, she was the most decent human being alive, next to Bulma. Her doors were always open early so Trunks gave her a visit when he went walking. Usually they would stand around and talk in her quiet little shop for an hour or so, four or five times a week. Of course she still didn't know about Trunks' true power, and he would keep things that way for as long as possible.

She may have been old enough to be his mother, but he still found her to be very attractive. Sometimes there were moments of silence where he felt embarrassed, but she didn't seem to notice or care. He knew they were just good friends, and never confused his thoughts with his emotions.

Surprisingly she was tactful enough to get along with Bulma, a blessing and a curse in itself. Trunks always felt kind of weird when the two women got together and talked because usually it involved his love life, or more specifically his lack of one. They could go on and on like two old maids, chattering for hours. Needless to say, Trunks always asked politely to be excused at times like that.

He walked into the Nawa Grocery. Like any other morning, it was filled with natural light and smelled sweet like lavender and vanilla. It was always very tidy and presentable. The produce was lined up neatly in perfect little rows out for display and the shelves were stocked full. Just like always, sitting on a tall stool behind a cash register and reading a newspaper was the lovely Ms. Nawa. She looked up slowly as Trunks walked through the door. She set the paper down and pushed her thin glasses into her light red hair. Her eyes twinkled in the light like glowing green orbs as her lips curled into a smile.

"Good Morning Trunks!" Her greeting rivaled the morning's warmth. It made Trunks feel happy for a moment in the midst of his concerns, and a moment later he didn't even have a concern. She always seemed to have that kind of affect on him.

"Good morning. How is everything?"

She placed her hands on her hips, looking around the empty store. "Oh, the usual crowd for nine in the morning, just my little Trunks!" She blew a tuft of crimson hair out of her face and squinted up her eyes. She was such a goof ball, still acting like she was a teenager.

"You look full of pep."

"I have to be to stay sane in this business! I've read this paper twice already this morning!"

"Well, maybe you shouldn't open at five in the morning."

Her eyes widened. "Trunks! What about all the people who depend on me for early morning grocery support? I can't just abandon them!" She sounded so serious.

Trunks couldn't help but smile and laugh. "That's true."

"Yeah-yeah, enough small talk, cut to the chase. Why don't you sit and tell me what a sweet young man like you is doing up this early?"

"I need to keep you from going crazy."

She looked at him with a cocked eyebrow. "You should be sleeping in…or did you have another nightmare?"

His face was totally void of surprise. It was funny how easily she could read him. He sat down on a chair near the checkout counter and crossed his hands in his lap. "Of course you're right. Bad dreams again."

She looked sad to hear it, even though she knew it was coming. "What were they this time?"

The same thing his nightmares were always about. At least he could tell that she was willing to listen. "Androids again. I can't help but be worried. What comes next?" Trunks leaned forward in the chair, looking at the ground, his foot tapping nervously.

"Trunks, I've been around for a pretty long while, and I'm sure that your mother would totally agree with me. Sometimes bad things happen! There's nothing we can do about that. Just think! If I had given up on this shop every time disaster struck, we wouldn't be talking right now! You need to realize that everything here happens for a reason, and there are forces at work that we can't understand. Just let them do their thing and relax."

If only she knew how well Trunks really did understand those forces. He understood completely that he was the force at work that she spoke of. Although her advice was good, all she told him was something he already knew. He had to take care of it alone.

"I guess you're right Ms. Nawa."

"Of course I'm right! But I don't believe you when you say that. You don't have to agree with me just to be polite Trunks."

"W-what do you mean?" She wasn't supposed to call his bluff. She was supposed to smile, nod and quickly change the subject. He knew she was genuinely concerned.

"You don't have to take all of my advice dear." She paused in thought for a moment." Hmm…maybe this problem runs deeper than I can see. Is there something you're not telling me?"

At this point he was busted big time. She was reading him line for line. He had to lie fast or it would only be a matter of time before she pried out the whole truth. "N-no! Really, I just have a lot on my mind!" He laughed. It lightened the mood for a second, and she bought it. Either that or she pretended to at least.

"I know that your mom puts a lot of excess pressure on you but I don't blame her. Trunks, you're a grown man now. Maybe you need to focus on what's _really_ important." He knew the only thing that she could think of that was possibly more important than protecting the earth. He stood up and cut her off before she could continue to embarrass him.

"You're right Ms. Nawa, it's only a matter of time. Don't worry about it" He figured that was what she wanted to hear, so he said it. Her face lit up like a jack-o-lantern. She was obviously pleased.

"Super! I'm glad to hear that you're giving some thought about your future. Oh, and by the way, I packed some fresh fruit for you and your mother." She bent down behind the counter. After several moments of rustling she reappeared with a large basket wrapped in cellophane. It was full of plump red apples, obnoxiously bright yellow bananas, shiny oranges and all sorts of other stuff. She slid it across the counter with a big smile. Trunks noticed that she barely had any wrinkles on her face for being in her forties. For a moment, Trunks could picture what she looked like in her youth. This sparked a chain reaction of thoughts in his head which until now had never occurred to him.

"Um, Ms. Nawa?"

She looked on with expectant eyes. "Yes dear?"

"I just realized something."

"What's that Trunks?"

He paused before continuing. If he were going to say anything, he would have to choose his words carefully. "Well, in all of the time I've known you, we've never talked about your family. I guess I always assumed that you ran this grocery by yourself because you didn't have a family. I know this all must sound very rude but…."

"No. No, it's okay. I'm kind of glad you asked. I never thought to mention it." She smiled. "Sounds kind of funny saying all of this out loud, but what would you like to know dear?"

"Oh, well…do you have a husband?"

Her face sunk a little at the sound of his voice. He was just about ready to apologize for not being more considerate to her feelings when she spoke. "Husband? No, I never had one of those. Being the unlucky girl that I was, I got pregnant and had a baby without a father. Don't worry, although that bastard changed my life, I still thank him for it."

"I don't understand…." For a moment he wished he hadn't said a word, but again she continued.

"The thing he gave me is what I live for and love today. My little girl."

"Oh, you have a daughter?" She smiled and nodded. It was strange. In an instant his entire portrait of sweet Ms. Nawa had changed. She was a mother. He wondered how he could have overlooked this detail for so long. It was obvious by the way she treated him, but quickly his thoughts were shooed away as she began to speak again.

"A few months after her father was gone for good, I realized that I was pregnant with his child. I felt sick and discouraged. My parents were sending me to a private dance college at the time, and when they heard the news they assumed the worst of me. They stopped paying tuition, and I was thrown out on the street, ready to have a baby." She paused for a moment blinking. "Am I telling you more than you need to know? I can sto-"

"No, please go on. I'm starting to get a better idea of the real you. If you don't mind to tell me such personal things then I would like to hear more." This was the most Ms. Nawa had ever opened up to him. He felt strangely close to her as she continued the story.

"So as I was saying. I was all by myself, left by my family and the father of my child, on the street. It was dumb luck that a kind family in North City took me in and gave me a place to stay. I got a job, and with their help, raised enough money to get back on my feet again. A few short weeks later I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. After everything I had been through, I thought it was strange that she had…" She paused for a second to rephrase herself, coughing briefly into her hand. "…Well, I could just immediately tell that she looked more like her father than me."

"You knew that right after she was born?"

"It was easy to tell. I'm sure your mother can still see the fire of your father in your eyes too. At first I was uncertain, but after I saw those small dependant eyes, I dedicated myself to that child. I named her after my great aunt, the only person in my family that showed me the kind of unconditional love a nice young girl deserves. Unfortunately she passed away just before I gave birth. Her name was Nadia. I named my baby girl Nadia, after my great aunt. She was such a kind woman. I prayed Nadia would be the same."

Trunks had never anticipated that all of this could have come from one question. He couldn't stop now. He needed to know more. "So how did you come to be the owner of this store?"

She sighed with laughter. "Well, the parents that disowned me got in touch several years later. Of course, they were knocking on death's door, begging for me to forgive their foolish hearts. Nadia was six years old at the time, and they wanted to see the face of their granddaughter before they left for the next dimension."

"Did you go?"

She gave a quiet chuckle to the question. "Of course. But not before I had them add Nadia and myself to the living will. I went to great lengths to make painfully sure that my daughter would have all the opportunities that she could ever wish for. So in turn, they left me a good deal of money that I put into a trust fund for Nadia, and the deed to their grocery. I took over all of the duties when they died because I couldn't afford any extra help. So it was just me and Nadia in the beginning. That all happened years ago. With the money I've made here, and the money I had stored away, I was able to send Nadia to private schools where she got a real education and even went to the same dancing college I attended when I was younger."

"Oh, she's a dancer too?" said Trunks.

Ms. Nawa nodded with enthusiasm. "It was amazing! You have to understand that I never even mentioned anything about dance to her and one day out of the blue she just brought it up! It made me happier than I could express in words! I had always wanted her to be a dancer, but I wanted her to choose what she wanted to be on her own. That was one of the happiest days of my life."

"That's great Ms. Nawa."

"I haven't even gotten to the best part! I had plenty of money for tuition, but she was such an excellent dancer that after one semester they started paying her just to attend the school full time!" Ms. Nawa pressed both hands against her chest, exhaling deeply in a sigh of joy. "She makes me so proud!"

"That's very impressive. How long ago did she graduate?"

Ms. Nawa laughed at the question. "She didn't graduate yet Trunks! She just finished her second year three days ago."

Trunks' face flushed. "Oh, forgive me…"

"She's a couple of years older than you Trunks! Why, how old did you think that I was?"

"No! It isn't that at all, I just never thought really…"

"Well if you're worried about whether she'll date a younger guy, don't be. I'm sure she'll make an exception for a cutie pie like you!"

Trunks' face got hot as it filled with blood. "Um…"

"What's wrong Trunks? Need me to open a window?" She chuckled at his discomfort.

"I should really be going now Mrs. Nawa." He grabbed the basket and smiled to her.

She nodded. "I hope I didn't hurt your feelings Trunks, I was just kidding around!"

"No, I'm fine really, I should just be heading back to Capsule Corp."

She smiled. "Sure thing. I really hope I didn't make you feel silly."

Silly didn't quite explain how Trunks felt at that moment.

"No, it's okay. Thank you again for the fruit basket Ms. Nawa. I'll see you later."

"You're welcome! Say hello to your mother for me?"

He walked towards the doorway and stopped. He took a deep breathe before he turned around again. "Ms. Nawa?"

She tilted her head. "Yes?"

"I hope I didn't upset you, either…by anything I asked."

She smiled at his concern. "Don't worry. I'm glad you finally asked. To be honest, I was dying to tell you!" She bit her tongue for a split second.

Trunks wasn't quite sure what that was supposed to mean, but he smiled politely, waved goodbye, and walked out of the store.

Ms. Nawa exhaled a deep breath as he walked out of sight. She had almost blown the whole plan. She quickly ran into the back room and picked up a phone. She dialed and it started ringing. An answering message came on. It sounded like Bulma.

"Hi, you've reached my personal number here at Capsule Corp! I'm doing something else right now, so please leave your message after the tone! BEEP!"

"Bulma, it's me. I wish that you were home so I didn't have to leave a message, but you said that this was your personal line, and I should call if I ever had any news. Well, here's some big news. Trunks was just in here and he finally asked, so I got around to telling him about Nadia. Everything went okay, but I was acting kind of suspicious so he might think something is up. We better be careful, I think this could work out great for both of them! Remember, she's coming in from North City in two days, we'll get together and talk before then, all right? Call back as soon as you get this! Bye-bye!" She hung up the phone, exhaling again, completely out of breath.

She waited for a moment before picking up the phone again. She dialed an entirely different number. After several rings, someone picked up the other line.

"Hello?" The voice sounded soft, sweet and very polite.

"Nadia, darling, how are you?"

"Hi mommy, I'm good. Why are you calling again? I wasn't expecting to hear from you for another two days. What are you doing?"

"Oh, n-nothing dear, I was just making sure that you were excited about coming home!" She gave a discreet little chuckle in an attempt to hide her scheming.

"Oh really? This doesn't have anything to do with those extra classes you enrolled me in?"

"No, but those are going to benefit your education greatly dear! Your school already agreed that all credits from Capsule Corp. courses are one hundred percent transferable, plus I got a really good discount on some otherwise expensive classes. I really called because I wanted to make sure you were looking forward to being home with me again."

"Don't worry, I am. I'm just wondering if I should really live at the Capsule Corp. Campus. Wouldn't you rather I just live at home and commute?"

"Oh, n-no! I'll still have plenty of time to see you! Besides, your classes don't start for another week, don't get ahead of yourself. We'll have plenty of time to talk in the days to come." Ms. Nawa sounded anxious on the phone, and it was no secret to Nadia.

"All right, if you say so."

"Well, why don't you tell me about your final project honey?" She cunningly changed the subject.

"Oh, I got a perfect score of course! I even got my costume custom tailored by the institute."

"Custom tailored?" Ms. Nawa tried to contemplate for a moment.

"Yeah mom, most outfits don't come with special holes, they need to be tailored."

"Oh yes! How silly of me to forget!" She laughed at her oversight. "Well I'm glad you did so well and I always knew that you would, but I have to get going now."

"Are you _sure_ everything is all right mom?"

A large drop of sweat appeared on the back of her head. "Hmm? O-of course, don't worry, everything is fine. I'll be there to pick you up from the Bus Station at two, right?"

"Yep!"

"Good, then I'll see you th-…" Suddenly the ground began to shake. The overstocked shelves in the small shop began to vibrate as well as a few cans tumbled to the ground. Ms. Nawa sat down and a loud rumble filled the air. "…What the heck?"

Outside of the store, a large shadow loomed over the city. Frantic people ran for shelter, terrified. Trunks was in the center of the raging crowd, staring up like a statue. He saw what was causing so much commotion below. It was one of the things he never wanted to see again, what he had been training for. The past three years were suddenly staring him down. It was the nightmares and the fear of proving himself before his eyes. It was a spacecraft; it was big; and he was absolutely sure that it wasn't from earth.


	2. Chapter 2: The Test

**Chapter 2: The Test**

The streets were in an uncontrollable panic. Trunks was the only one who stood still in the sea of bodies that were desperately trying to escape. He lifted up his wristwatch and pressed a small blue button on the side. A metal panel opened up, revealing a miniature TV screen with a CC logo and the words connecting in the lower right corner. A few seconds later, Bulma's face appeared, covered in grease. She raised her forearm to wipe her brow, smudging more dirt with sweat.

"What's happenin' son of mine?" She said with a slight gasp. She took a small drink from a bottle of water.

"Oh, nothing important, I was just wondering if you could track an alien spaceship that just entered the atmosphere for me?"

Bulma's eyes widened as she spit the water out of her mouth and screamed into the microphone wildly. "Alien spaceship!?"

Trunks chuckled. He had expected a similar reaction. "Yeah, don't worry I can probably handle it, I just need you to track the course and estimate the landing point."

"All right, just gimme a second, okay?" Trunks could see that she was typing frantically. In the matter of a minute, she was finished. "Let's see…At the current speed, with inertia, point of entry, weather interference, the position of the EM field and assumed control of the vessel…I'd say two and a quarter miles south west of your current location at 64s, 21w in approximately ten minutes. Yes, that's where they'll be landing."

"Great. Please check to see if anyone lives near that quadrant."

She didn't even reply, she was already busy typing away. In moments, she had the answer. "No way, that place is deserted. I mean, it's a desert. Technically Trunks, it's a deserted desert."

"Good. Now, I want you to make a report to the emergency broadband stations and explain that the space ship is a Capsule Corp. experiment and no one should be alarmed. Could you do that for me mom?"

Bulma's eyebrows made her confusion obvious. "What are you planning to do Trunks?"

"I'm going to find out if this is trouble or not. Until then it's your job to keep the peace. This incident isn't leaving Pepper Town, because it ends here and now."

"Oh, I get it. Please be careful Trunks. I'm not riding in the time machine to save your butt, so you better come back alive!"

Trunks smiled, terminating the connection. He punched the coordinates into the GPS system on his wristband. He would be ready and waiting for them when they arrived. Wasting no time, he and blasted off towards the desert. For three years he trained harder than he thought possible, and now the time to test his skills had come. He felt the same way that the Z fighters of the past must have felt before the imminent clash with the androids when he warned them three years prior. Trunks assumed it was a good sign that no one had traveled back in time to warn him about this day. It reassured him that this was no reason to be concerned. The wind rippled through his hair, reminding him of the first week after he had returned. He trained himself to the core. Everyday his fingernails were covered in dried blood from clenching his fists. His body was so weak after training that he could barely stand upright in the shower afterwards. He could see a trail of bright white energy behind every punch. Everyday he felt his power level get even greater, and the more he trained, the harder he trained.

Now he had given five years of his life to constant training, two in the spirit chamber at Kami's sanctuary, and three in his own time. For those five years he trained his body, mind and soul, and for those five years he was alone. He could feel the anger swelling up inside. At times he felt so much rage bottled up, he thought that if he transformed now, he might destroy the entire planet with the shear magnitude of his power alone. At any rate, he knew that he was ready. He made sure there wasn't any way he could have been more ready.

He landed on a large plateau, and watched the huge ship spiral across the sky from far away. Trunks relaxed his muscles. His plan was simple. He would interrogate the visitors, determine the risk, and do one of three things. Either way, it was all down hill from here.

After several minutes of slowly approaching, the ship stopped a hundred feet in front of Trunks, oblivious to his presence. The large craft hovered in the air, a hundred meters up. Trunks hopped off of the plateau and landed on ground level. A strong breeze kicked up a cloud of dust, but he didn't even squint as it passed over his face. His entire body was engulfed in the shadow of the enormous spaceship, but he stood strongly, with undeniable confidence.

Less than a minute passed before a large hole in the belly of the ship opened like a ripple on a pond. A yellow beam descended housing three dark figures. In one smooth motion, the beam touched the ground, dropped the aliens off and retracted back into the ship, leaving a gaping hole still open. Their appearance became more recognizable with the absence of the yellow field. The one on the far left looked similar to a human with tan skin and wild green hair. He was wearing an all too familiar set of Saiyan-looking armor. He had a semi muscular build and wore a red scouter over his left eye. To the far right of the three was a reptilian creature with orange scales and long spikes of dark blue hair that hung over one side of his face. He was wearing an out dated suit of combat armor that looked severely beaten. His body was tall and muscular and he carried a hi-tech spear. Finally, in the center was a large, muscular creature with two sharp horns that turned upwards on his forehead. He had thick skin and dark beady eyes. He was wearing a dark red cape with golden ties. Underneath Trunks could see a sword in its sheath and Saiyan armor.

The situation was obvious. The appearance of the aliens spoke for them. They were space pirates. Probably from one of Freeza's old factions, still roaming the universe, picking on the weak.

Boy did they land on the wrong planet.

They noticed Trunks immediately. How could they have missed him, standing there like an iron tower, both of his hands in his pockets, staring them down, ready for anything imaginable. He was on top of his game.

The man with spiky green hair immediately clicked on his scouter. Trunks cracked a smile. If they still used that out dated technology that couldn't even detect that he was concealing his power, then he really didn't have anything to worry about. After the man took the inaccurate reading, he whispered something to the large devil next to him. He must have been the leader. They were so ignorant. If Trunks hadn't been the only warrior left on earth, this would have been a huge waste of his time.

The man in the center started walking forward with a grin of false confidence on his face. The two thugs followed closely behind him. He flung the large cloak to the side, exposing his sidearm. A full three heads taller than Trunks, he looked down and placed both hands on his hips. Trunks caught a whiff of his breath. It smelled awful like old fish heads swimming in a mouth full of bacteria. The creature spoke to him carelessly.

"Heh, who are you supposed to be? Valet parking?" The two aliens behind him chuckled at the stupid joke. Trunks looked unamused. The green-haired alien took one step forward and cleared his throat.

"Hey, idiot. You better speak up when Meemique speaks to you!"

Trunks didn't even give him the pleasure of eye contact.

Agitated, he raised his voice louder. "Listen up you creep, you better start showing respect, because I already scouted your power level, and you're lucky that we didn't kill you just for being in our way!"

If only he knew it was an empty threat.

"Well, I hate to break the news to you, but your little toy is broken." Trunks' eyes were penetrating. For a moment his eyes were colder than Vegeta's.

The leader, Meemique, held his hand out to restrain his henchman. "Let me handle this Kileeg." He turned his head to the reptile. "You stay out of this too."

The lizard nodded with a hiss. Trunks used the small break of action as an opportunity to speak. "The last time I had to do this was a long time ago, but it's still just as annoying as ever, so please, let's get this over with. It's obvious that none of you are here as ambassadors of peace, so you can either leave, and never return, or you can stay here and be killed by me; right now."

They still looked unimpressed. Meemique gave Trunks a look up and down. He reached forward, rubbing the collar of Trunks' shirt between his thumb and index finger.

"Nice shirt." He mocked.

But Trunks' face remained void of emotions as he replied, "Thanks."

The alien leader brushed his hand over his chin before continuing. "You sound _very_ eager to die. We have no need to kill you. We would much rather you stay alive and become our slave; you and the rest of this planet."

"Oh really? So there's no way I could convince you to leave?"

Meemique smiled, exhaling a deep breath of foul air. "Not a chance in hell. Oh, and I changed my mind. Kileeg, go ahead and kill this punk."

Kileeg gave a smile of crooked teeth and clenched his fists. "With pleasure!" He didn't hesitate. He dashed forward with a straight right fist aimed at Trunks' chin. It was a good delivery: A fast attack with ample power. Maybe when Trunks was only twelve it would have connected with his face. Instead, Trunks moved his head to the side grabbing Kileeg's punch at the wrist. Trunks wasn't squeezing as hard as he could but Kileeg's face filled with pain.

The alien screamed, tears welling up in the corners of his eyes.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you to keep your hands to yourself?" Trunks squeezed his wrist tightly, crushing every bone in Kileeg's wrist and half of the bones in his hand; nearly severing it completely.

Meemique was paralyzed from shock until Kileeg's blood curdling screams of pain aroused him to his senses. "S-stop it now! Let him go!"

Trunks turned his head slowly. "You forgot to say please." He released his grip regardless, dropping him to the ground.

The injured warrior curled into a ball, weeping to himself. Meemique looked once at his wounded comrade before returning his sight to Trunks. "W-what was that?" He took two steps backwards while the orange lizard man stood, frozen in awe.

"That? That's a good idea of what's about to happen to you." He began advancing forward.

Frightened, the large horned man stumbled back. "B-but I, w-what did I do to you?!"

"How predictable. You make me sick. You think you can lay ruin upon those that are weaker, just because you can. Who gave you that right?"

Meemique froze in place, spending a second to regain his composure. "I was merely surprised by your power. The scouter gave a false reading and threw me off. That's all. Taking you out still wouldn't be a suitable challenge for me." He turned towards the lizard. "Deliak. Take care of this rabble, will you? I don't want to get my hands dirty." With that having been said, he turned around and started walking back to the area they landed.

Trunks was not at all pleased by his slow retreat. "Don't go very far. This won't take long."

The lizard man Deliak stepped forward, slamming the hilt of his spear into the ground. Trunks didn't want to waste any time. He wouldn't give them a chance. He wouldn't make a mistake by underestimating them now. Before the lizard could swing his spear, raise it off of the ground or even blink, Trunks quickly vanished, leaving an after-image. Before the lizard could widen his reptilian eyes and swallow a hard gulp, Trunks reappeared behind him, slamming an elbow deep into the back of the orange serpent's neck. The force of the blow would have been enough to destroy a small building; instead it propelled the poor creature into the side of the mountain plateau at several hundred feet per second, shattering it into rubble and tossing a huge cloud of dust and debris up into the air.

"W-what!" Meemique could only stand back and watch.

Trunks glanced at the last of the three who was unharmed. "I'm not finished yet." He aimed his arm behind his back, pointing his hand at the mountain of rubble the foot soldier had created. A hum of energy surrounded Trunks as he formed a large yellow ball of energy in the palm of his hand. It expanded to roughly the size of a bowling ball before he expelled it towards the shattered rock. A loud buzzing sound screeched through the air as he launched the mighty blast from his hand. The energy was so immense that it caused a back draft of wind to blow, catching Meemique's cape, and forcing him to hold his arms up in front of his face. On impact with the rocky mound, the energy ball exploded, sending up a cloud of dust and pebbles that shot higher than the spaceship that hovered overhead, engulfing it. The excess energy hung in the air, making Meemique's skin tingle. Small veins of electricity danced over Trunks' open palm and flickered against the earth.

The dust settled and Meemique looked surprisingly calm as he began to speak. "That was an incredible attack…." The devilish creature's expressionless face quickly melted into a devious smile. "Incredibly stupid, that is."

Trunks lowered his arm as the alien started laughing sinisterly. "I guess now is the part where I ask you why, hmm?"

"You assume too much about me. You assume that you're stronger when the true depth of my power escapes you." He extended his arm towards Trunks with an open palm. A hum of energy surrounded him as a large yellow ball formed in the palm of his hand; identical to the one Trunks had just created in every way.

"What's this now?" Trunks was completely at ease.

"You're a fool if you think that kind of attack scares me. It's obvious that you're completely out of strength now. You wasted all of your power trying to destroy my comrade, and I am confident that you will not be strong enough to defend, not even against your own attack!"

"So you're going to defeat me with my own move? I never would have thought you had such a unique ability. Maybe I did underestimate you…if it works. "

"Yes, that's right. My unique gift is the ability to double an attack after seeing it performed only once. Now ironically, you will be killed by your own stupid oversight!"

"Oh, of course that is unless your theory about my power is wrong?"

"Nothing you can say will save you so shut up and become the first one on this planet to die!" With a crackle of energy, he shot the ball towards Trunks. The duplicate energy ball cut through the air like an invisible blade. Time ceased to exist as it rippled through the breeze. It was fast, faster than most eyes could follow, but what came next was even faster than that. Like an iron piston, Trunks swatted the attack away with his forearm, lobbing it into the bottom of the ship above them. The explosion rocked the large hovering vehicle, sending flames and particles raining down. Meemique shielded his face from the blast as some small pieces of debris from his spaceship came down like flaming corn flakes. Trunks stood motionlessly. The flaming metal chips of wreckage dissolved into nothing as soon as they entered his aura. The sequence of events was ludicrous. A normal man would have missed it, even with both eyes open. Even Meemique was having trouble believing it.

Kileeg had finally recovered from the shock and stood up slowly, his wounded hand tucked underneath his arm. He took several small steps towards his leader. "Meemique…I scouted him again…maybe we should just leave and use the ion cannon on this ball of mud."

"What was his power level? Tell me now! What was it!?"

"Just over seven million sir."

Meemique stopped breathing momentarily. "That's impossible. This guy is strong, but no one is that strong. The scouter is broken, don't rely on it."

"But sir, it still reads your power level as nine hundred thou-" His read-out was interrupted by a slap across the face.

Meemique grabbed him by the hair, pulling his face inches from his own. "If you ever say my power level out loud again, you'll have both of your broken arms tucked in your ass."

Trunks couldn't keep himself from laughing. "Are you too embarrassed for me to know the true_ depth_ of your power? What a joke. This game is over. I'm tired of playing with you."

Kileeg grabbed frantically at his leader's cloak, tugging like an impatient child. "Sir! Let's get out of here while we still ca-"

Meemique didn't even have time to consider the possibility again before a bright flash of light engulfed his henchman. His entire body was swallowed by an energy beam, disintegrating him less than an inch away from Meemique's face. He watched the look in his friend's eyes as they disappeared. He didn't need another sign to know he was going to run away. Even if he did have the ability to double an opponent's attack, he wouldn't get the chance to use it at this rate. He turned tail, jetting into the air as fast as he could. The trail of energy he left behind was pure evidence of his fear. He headed towards the belly of the ship as fast as he could, but waiting there preventing his escape was Trunks.

Meemique gasped in surprise. "Demon! You're not real! You can't be! You're a ghost, you don't even exist!"

Trunks furrowed his eyebrows. "What did you think would happen? Jumping from planet-to-planet, causing chaos and destruction? Did you think you would live forever?"

"Fine then. If you are determined to kill me, I have to know one thing…How did you reach a power level of seven million?!"

"Seven million? Oh, that was what the scouter told you? Well, I'm sorry to break it to you, but I'm not fighting at my full strength. You rely too heavily on numbers. I'm not even getting serious yet."

"If that is true, then as a warrior I demand you defeat me at your strongest energy level!" He was formulating a plan quietly to himself. Maybe if he could mimic Trunks at his highest power level, then maybe he had a chance.

Trunks wasn't buying into it though.

"Good plan, but I'm not as easily tricked as my father. I have Saiyan pride, but I'm not blinded by it."

"Saiyan? Your father? Who are you?! Who was your father?! Maybe I-"

"Enough questions!" Trunks dashed forward, driving his left fist deep into the stomach of his enemy, rupturing his internal organs like bursting a string of water balloons, and likewise causing him to spew forth a long stream of orange blood from his mouth. Without a moment of delay, he followed up the punch by pulling back and driving his right elbow directly into the pain stricken creature's sternum, which happened to shatter his ribcage and flood his lungs with thick, orange fluid. He continued the effective combo with a swift hard kick upward, sending Meemique fifteen feet up before bouncing him off of his ship. His limp body, covered in his own blood cascaded towards the ground. Trunks couldn't hold back. If he held back, he would be putting the people of the earth at risk. He aimed his hand at the falling body, timing the attack carefully in his head. He fired a powerful blast; just enough to destroy the remains, leaving no evidence that he ever existed.

The air was filled with the foulest scent of burnt flesh imaginable. Charcoal colored smoke and ashes drifted slowly across the decimated battlefield. All that was left remained several meters above Trunks' head. He flew towards the opening in the center of the craft and floated inside. The interior of the ship was filthy, which wasn't surprising taking into account the fine crew he encountered earlier. It looked as though it was nearly on the verge of collapse.

"What a dump." He landed on the floor, which coated the bottom of his boots in a thin layer of grease and soot. At first it looked as though the entire ship was uninhabited, based on the fact that Trunks couldn't find a single soul on the main deck. It seemed that the power levels he felt earlier must have belonged to those three fools. It was a pity. They might have been a destructive force against most planets. What a coincidence that their ship landed less than fifteen minutes from the strongest fighter in the universe; not a lucky day for those three.

He was just about ready to leave and destroy the ship when a white spark snapped in front of his face. It was weak, but now he could sense an energy level down the hall, too low to be a threat. He followed his senses until he arrived at a dead end with a cellar type hatch on the floor. It was bolted shut with an alien locking device, not so different from the pin and tumbler locks on earth. He aimed his hand towards the steel lock, melting it with a fingertip energy beam. He pulled open the heavy metal shutters, and inside he could see a group of strange looking aliens, cowering in the dark corners. From what little light existed in the small pit, they appeared to They were dressed only in rags, some of them weren't dressed at all and they were covered in the same disgusting black tar as Trunks' boots. There must have been forty of them cramped in the small chamber. They looked hungry and maltreated, and Trunks could tell that they were terrified. One of the men looked up at Trunks, not recognizing the young Saiyan.

"You are not familiar…who are you?"

"My name is Trunks. How can I help?"

They looked confused and chattered amongst themselves. "You mean that you are here to help us?" The alien man's eyes widened, his lips cautiously beginning to smile.

Trunks nodded.

"Oh, excellent. We assumed there was a battle going on when the ship was jolted earlier. And you were victorious?" The people began to quietly converse.

"There were three of them. Do you know if there might have been anymore that fled?"

A young girl, kneeling on the ground quietly answered Trunks. "No. The three warriors that you saw are the only masters of this ship."

"Good, that makes everything easier for me." He lifted his arm and pressed the small blue button on his wristband once again. A few moments later the CC logo was replaced by Bulma's face.

"Trunks! Is that you? I can barely see you, where did you go?" The reception inside of the ship was poor.

"There must be some kind of energy disturbance, but never mind that. Listen, I solved our little _problem_ with ease. I could have done it with my eyes closed."

"Well that's good news. I knew you would!" He watched awkwardly as she performed a quick dance of joy, barely visible through the static.

"Mom, there's another small problem."

Bulma stopped dancing and sat back down. Her eyes looked like the worried eyes of a mother. It was so different from how she was behaving just a moment earlier. "What did you say?"

"I said there's another problem now."

She gulped as he repeated himself. "That's what I thought you said. Let me guess: You beat the bad guys with ease, but their buddies will be here in exactly one year, and they're even stronger than you are? Right? Am I right? Tell me that I'm right!"

Trunks smirked at her trained pessimism. "No, we're not that lucky. I just need you to send over a large shuttle bus. We're gonna be having some guests. I'm uploading our exact location now. Don't keep us waiting."

"Us?" Bulma blinked twice.

Trunks terminated the connection with a smile. He knew she would understand when he got back. He turned towards the crowd. "Let's get you all out of here."

Quickly the large corridor was filled from side to side with bodies. None of them were chained with anything. They must have all been too weak to do anything in their defense. An aged man stepped forward from the crowd.

"I must thank you, so on behalf of the people of Natamoru, we give you our most honorable respects." He bowed.

Trunks smiled at the gesture of kindness. "Hey, it was the least that I could have done, so don't thank me yet. We're going to help you out with a place to stay, get you some food, clothing and anything else you need. We can help you get back on track again."

A thin young girl stepped forward wearing shredded rags. She covered her breasts with both arms because her clothing did not. "You are choosing to give us our freedom? What strings do you have attached to that? What do you now _expect_ from me in return?"

Trunks could detect an _implied_ meaning, and likewise looked at the ground out of courtesy for her. "I want nothing from any of you in return. All I want is to help you."

The elder looked at the girl with scornful eyes. "This man is different Mel. Can you not see already that he is worthy of our trust?"

She bowed her head as he spoke. Another girl that looked almost identical to the one being scolded stepped forward. "Sir, forgive my sister, but her heart has become heavy, and it will take her time to heal."

The elder alien nodded. "You are right Kara, but her lack of tact is an insult to our hero. Let her learn that lesson quickly for her own benefit."

Trunks decided to interrupt. "Don't worry about it. I can see already that you all have had it pretty rough. Just relax for now. We can sort the details later." Trunks smiled at the two sisters. They both made an attempt to smile back, but he could sense something coming from the girl named Kara. Maybe it was just his imagination, but he thought he could hear her talking to his heart. He blushed. Everything was beginning to sink in. For the first time in a long time, once again he was a hero.


	3. Chapter 3: A New Beginning

**Chapter 3: A New Beginning**

The bulky Capsule Corp. hover-bus, piloted by Bulma, sputtered through the sky, filled far beyond its intended capacity. Each of the aliens looked out the windows like eager children, their faces pressed against the glass in a state of utter admiration.

As a group, they presented themselves as rather peaceful aliens. It must have seemed like the morning after a terrible dream for them. Trunks could only sit and wonder the explicit details of their struggle. Maybe later he would ask them, when the time was right.

Bulma was smiling at the fact that she was zipping across the sky in her zany flying bus, filled with alien refugees. She looked over at Trunks, and followed up the glance with a nudge to his ribs. "What's wrong now? You don't have the right to be upset anymore! You were way stronger than those guys, and you probably could have even beaten them three years ago!"

"You're right, but they were still very strong. The energy level I sensed was much higher than any one of Freeza's henchmen that I can recall. The universe is changing everyday, and I need to make sure that I'm changing with it."

"But outer space doesn't have an ultra powerful Super Saiyan like you!"

Trunks smiled. "Yeah, that's true. Maybe it has something even stronger. That seems to be the pattern."

Her comforting was quickly losing momentum. She needed to try and get his mind off of training for a few more days, for the sake of her plans. "Hey Trunks, I have an idea. Why don't you go and visit some of our old friends tomorrow?"

He turned his head to look at Bulma. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I'm sure that Master Roshi, Oolong and Puar would love to see how you've been! And then what about Chi-Chi and Ox King?"

"Maybe you're right about Roshi, but I don't know if Chi-Chi wants to see me. I can't shake this feeling when I'm around her." Trunks looked out the window. He could see Mount Paozu in the distance.

"Why, because of Gohan? Why should you feel guilty about what happened to Gohan? He was protecting the earth Trunks, and I'm sure Chi-Chi can understand that you loved him just as much as she did. I think you would make her happy by dropping by, you're pretty much her nephew and she would love to see how you're doing."

Trunks sat back in his chair, sighing deeply. "Maybe you're right. Why tomorrow though? I could do all of that today."

Bulma bit her tongue. Her mind was flooded with possible excuses. "Uh, well, you need to spend more time than that with friends! You haven't seen them for years, and you just wanna talk for five minutes and leave?"

"I have other things to do tomorrow."

She knew what that meant: training. Bulma wasn't ready to give up yet, though. "What if Roshi dies soon? He's an old man. He's always been an old man! He was an old man when I was still a young girl, so I'm sure that his end is near."

"It's still early, I could get this all done today without seeming rude."

"That's not true, because today will be over by the time you're done helping me get these guys all fixed up!"

Trunks couldn't help but laugh. Bulma was more than a handful sometimes, but he couldn't imagine a better mother. He knew that he could put off his training for one more day. What harm could it possibly cause? He just hoped his break in schedule wasn't foreshadowing something bad.

The large bus lowered towards the ground and landed on the launchpad right outside of the Capsule Corporation. Bulma Opened the door, ran down the ramp and came skidding to a halt twenty some feet away. She pulled out a large electric megaphone and turned it on. "All right everyone, come on out!"

One after another the thin and beautiful aliens poured out of the bus until they were all standing patiently on the emerald terrace. After exiting the shuttle bus, Trunks reached over and with the push of a button, a loud fizzing sound and a cloud of smoke, he returned the bus to its capsule. The aliens seemed to be intrigued but also very easily amused.

Bulma coughed into the megaphone, diverting their attention back to her. "Okay, I'm not familiar with your culture, so if I say something that you don't understand, just tell me! Now, I've noticed that you all look pretty messy, so what say we get you to the showers and find you some suitable clothing!" She cleared her throat again before continuing. "We have two shower areas separated for boys and girls. Now before we start anything, I need to account for everyone…" She looked around for someone to help her out, and Trunks didn't look particularly busy at that moment.

"Trunks! Thanks for volunteering! Now you go and find me a folding table, some paper and a pen please!"

"Sure thing." Trunks nodded, walking into the Capsule Corp. main building.

Bulma continued her instructions. "If you could all separate into boys and girls right now, that might make things easier." The aliens looked at each other. They didn't appear to understand her directions clearly, so she took the liberty of rephrasing herself. "Okay, how about all of the boys step over here," She pointed to the right. "And all of the girls step over there." She pointed to her left. The aliens split into two groups as Bulma began to take a quick head count. In a few moments, she had counted twelve females, and twenty-one males. Just then, Trunks came out with a capsule in hand.

"Will this do?" He clicked the capsule and dropped it. It tapped the ground erupting into a plume of smoke, forming what looked like a personal office set.

"Great thinking son, now how about you go and warm up the showers while I catalog their information?"

Trunks nodded again and walked back into the house. It was funny to see his mom acting so strangely. Usually she was very polite and serious. She was starting to remind him of the way she used to act twenty years in the past.

He walked into the large Capsule Corp. Bathing facility. It was covered in white glimmering tiles from floor to ceiling. He wondered why they had a bathing facility divided for male and female use, but at the moment it seemed a little more reasonable than a full sized terrarium. There seemed to be plenty of showers for everyone, fifty at least. He pressed a large button, illuminating the room.

"Computer; all showers on, high-warm." The showers turned on immediately in both sections. "Computer; refill soap trays." The old soap was automatically replaced by fresh soap in an instant. Trunks smiled at his handy work. He walked out of the showers and into a large storage room and turned on the lights. Small capsule containers lined the walls. The room was full of unused capsules of breakthrough technologies developed and manufactured by Capsule Corp.

"Computer, engage search engine, please." With the utterance of those few words, a small flying robot hovered down. He opened the main panel on the robot's chest and typed in a six-digit password. The robot lit up immediately.

"Good Morning Trunks. How May I help you?" The voice sounded monotone, but friendly too.

"I need sixty capsule corp. outfits. Thirty female and thirty male." He overestimated the number of outfits needed, just to be safe. The robot didn't seem to mind or question the request. It buzzed off to the far reaches of the storeroom and began filtering through boxes. A few seconds later, it returned with four Capsule cases. Trunks took them with one hand, and retyped his password with the other.

"GOOD BYE TRUNKS." The robot flew away and the storeroom lights shut off. Trunks walked out and closed the door. As he went back outside, Bulma was standing in front of a line formed by the men, and no one was standing in front of the women. She smiled as he approached.

"Hey Trunks! What took you so long? You missed out on everything!"

"I was getting some clothes from storage."

Bulma ran over to him. "Good! Give me all of the male uniforms!"

"Why?"

"Well, because I'm going to get the men ready, and you'll be helping out with the ladies!"

Trunks gulped. "W-why is that?"

"Oh, don't be so shy! I only did that because there are less girls than guys and I was trying to make it easier on you!"

Trunks leaned forward, speaking in a whisper. "Well thank you for your concern, but I think I would feel more comfortable with the extra work."

Bulma whispered back. "Oh, I see. I never thought you liked boys Trunks."

His eyes bulged out of his head. He still managed to speak in a whisper. "It's not like that! I'm trying to be polite!"

"Well don't even worry about it. These girls don't mind, you just saved them from a life of slavery, I'm betting that every one of them is waiting for the chance to make it up to you." She nudged him in the ribs.

"W-what?!" Trunks nearly fell over at her suggestion.

The aliens all looked in their direction with their thin, long ears perked up.

Bulma shushed him. "Quiet down." She spoke in a hushed tone. "It's true you know. You should have seen the way they were looking at you when you left. You're just too busy to notice when a girl is interested Trunks, and that could become a problem later. Hey, if you like boys instead though…"

"I don't! I was just try-…"

"Then it shouldn't be a problem. Listen to your mother, ok?"

If he would have just wasted five seconds and not cared if his mother accused him, he wouldn't have been in this situation.

"This isn't fair."

Bulma grabbed the top two cases, turned and walked towards the line of men. "You might be a Super Saiyan, but I'm still your mother." She motioned and all of the men followed her.

Trunks stood watching as they left. She was always trying to make him as romantically uncomfortable as possible. There really wasn't anything he could do to ignore it. He turned back to the females. They were all staring at him with big round, expectant eyes. Did Bulma sense something that he could not? "Um, all right. We have showers ready for all of you so you can get clean, and fresh clothes to change into afterwards. Just follow me please?"

They walked into Capsule Corp. The men's shower section was closed off, but Trunks could hear Bulma instructing them on how to wash from the other side. If his grown mother wasn't embarrassed to teach twenty male aliens how to take a shower, then why should he feel funny? There wasn't anything uncomfortable about it unless he let himself feel uncomfortable. Most of the women had already begun to undress from the dirty rags that poorly attempted to cover them. A young girl spoke up. It was hard for Trunks to look her in the eyes, considering that she was completely naked.

"What are these?" She didn't recognize the showers. It had already occurred to him that they used an alternative method of bathing.

"Well, do you know how to use soap?" They looked at one another. The idea seemed to confuse them. Trunks walked into the large bathing area. The showerheads were far enough apart that he could walk around without getting wet. He grabbed a bar of soap and walked back towards the group, his face tilted towards the floor.

"This is soap. We use this with the water to wash dirt off." He rubbed it into his hands. The wet bar of soap formed a thin lather on his hands. He held it up to show the rest.

"See, you rub this on you, and it makes your body clean. You can use this water to get wet so that the soap can get you clean."

The girl walked forward. "Then you will make my body clean?"

A large drop of sweat slid down the back of Trunks' head. He began blushing immediately. He knew the question was harmless, but it still made him uncomfortable. "Well, you all get to wash yourselves, but I will show you if you give me your hand."

It might not have been what she had in mind, but she reached both of her hands forward. Trunks grabbed them gently and rubbed the bar of soap across her skin. He tried being as demonstrative as possible.

"Oh, like this?" She held onto his hands.

"Yes, just like that."

She squeezed his hands and gazed deeply into his eyes. "You are very strong. I can tell."

The comment caught Trunks off guard and he loosened his grip on the soap, causing the bar to slip out of his hands and land on the floor. Trunks was too nervous to think straight. "Sorry!" He bent over and reached down to pick it up. He grabbed the sudsy bar, noticing that it was only a couple of inches away from her feet. If he would have given the action another second of thought, he might have realized that what goes down must come up. Keeping his face turned to the floor, he reached his hand up, holding the bar of soap out to her.

She took it from his hand. "Thank you." She walked towards one of the showers, giving Trunks an opportunity to stand up, nearly embarrassment free.

By now, the others were giggling at his discomfort. He regained his disposition and continued. "So, as you all can see, you use the soap with the water to get rid of the dirt."

Another young woman stepped forward. "Can you show me next?"

The female aliens began to giggle.

"I'm sure that…" he looked at the other girl. He thought that he recognized her from the ship. Kiwi maybe? He didn't quite remember.

"My name is Kara." She spoke softly.

Trunks nodded. "I'm sure that Kara can explain how it's done just as well as I can. Other than the washing, each of you can change the temperature of the water by turning the dial in front of each shower. The more you turn it to the left, the hotter the water becomes, and the more you turn it to the right, the colder the water becomes. If you have any more questions, I'll be waiting over here. Trunks walked towards the door, closing it for privacy. They all slowly swarmed into the showering area.

Trunks took a couple of deep breathes, trying to slow down his racing heart. He began opening the capsules, setting up a display of their new clothes. The entire time, he kept his back turned to them out of gentlemen's courtesy. He could feel their eyes on him the entire time. Was Bulma right? Was he just too busy to notice the attention before? His thoughts were interrupted prematurely by a scream that was audible from outside the door. It was Bulma from the men's showers.

"Trunks! You forgot to bring any underwear!"

Trunks took a big gulp and opened the door. He turned to the showering females for a split second.

"I'll be back, please take your time." He ran out the door, closing it behind him.

Bulma was waiting in the Bathing hall between the two sections. "No underwear?" She shook her head in disappointment.

"Sorry, I didn't even think of it." A small droplet of swear slid down the back of his hair.

"It's okay, you wouldn't have found it if you tried."

"Oh?"

"The men's garments would have been easy, but I changed the code from female panties in case Oolong ever came over."

"I see. So what should I ask for instead?"

"Get one Capsule case of regular herbal tea. That really means you'll be getting small and medium sized panties." Bulma winked. "Now get going!"

A minute later Trunks had returned from the storage room. Bulma grabbed her capsule and hurried back to her side of the showering room. Trunks walked towards the closed door, pressing a large button to open it. As the door slid open a large cloud of steam rolled out, surrounding Trunks. The air was thick, moist and chokingly hot. He ran in quickly. The entire room was filled with hot steam and joyful laughter. Trunks was amazed that they could withstand such an extreme temperature. They seemed to be having the time of their lives. He could barely see anyone through the steam that enveloped the large bathing area. One of the ladies closer to Trunks called out through the mist.

"Could somebody close that door?" She asked, innocently.

It was a valid request. Trunks could either stay in and be scalded alive, or he could wait outside. Trunks stepped out closing the door behind him. Just then, the door opened from the men's section. Out came Bulma, followed by the aliens, all dressed in stylish Capsule gear. Their skin was tinted dark blue, and aside from looking much cleaner, they also looked a lot happier too. Bulma pointed them to a room down the hall. They all walked slowly, talking amongst themselves. Bulma turned to Trunks with a smile as the last one was out of sight.

"Where are they going?" Trunks asked. He wondered why Bulma would send them somewhere all alone in such a big and unfamiliar place.

"I gave them directions to the kitchen. They seem to have very remarkable minds. I'm thinking about apprenticing some of them to work here at Capsule."

"That sounds great, but how do you know that by watching them take a shower?"

"I could sense it, see it in their actions. So what about the women?"

Trunks wrinkled his eyebrows. "What about them?"

Bulma leaned forward. "Did you notice anything _remarkable_ about them?

"Mother, I'm sure that after being bound in slavery the last thing they want is a pervert checking them out."

"You'd be surprised what girls want these days Trunks."

A large drop of sweat appeared in his hair. He had taken just about enough comments for one day. "What has gotten into you mother?"

Bulma stepped back, blinking. "W-what did you say?"

"I'm sorry mom, but don't think I haven't noticed the way you've been acting. Please stop being acting so desperately about me."

"Okay-okay, go easy, I'm just trying to get you motivated."

"Yes, I can see that."

There was a moment of silence. Bulma might have felt a little bit guilty, but she quickly changed the subject. "Hey Trunks, could you call the CC Towing crew and have them tow that ship to the main hanger?"

"Sure. What's the number?"

Bulma paused in thought. "I'm not really sure. I have it on one button in my work room, just call from there."

Trunks looked back at the door where the women were showering. "What about them?"

Bulma tapped her chin. "Hmm. Just leave them alone. They'll be fine for now."

They both walked across the main hallway until they reached Bulma's workroom. The door was locked. Bulma typed in her passkey and they walked in. Trunks picked up the phone, and noticed a blinking red button. Bulma was busy shuffling through some of her things.

Trunks pressed the button. An electronic voice came on next.

"YOU HAVE ONE NEW MESSAGE."

Trunks tucked the phone against his neck. "Hey mom, you have a message."

"Hmm? That's funny, I don't remember giving this number out…I wonder who it could be?"

Trunks put the phone against his ear again.

"Monday, 9:02 am. . ." What came next was the voice of Ms. Nawa. It was the message that she left earlier that day. "Bulma, it's me. I wish that you were home so I didn't have to leave a message-"

Trunks took the phone away from his ear for a second. "It's Ms. Nawa. She must have called you right after I left the store. That's kind of funny, I wonder why?"

He was about to put the phone back up to his ear, when Bulma snatched it away faster than the Super Saiyan could raise his power level. "Oh really? What did she have to say?" Bulma hit the repeat message button.

"I'm not sure, you took the phone away before I could…"

"Hey Trunks, I was wrong, maybe you should go back to the showers and check on how those girls are doing?"

"What about CC towing?"

"Oh, I can handle that just fine by myself!" Trunks could tell that something was going on. It was the second time he had gotten that feeling today, but again he brushed it aside. He left the room and slowly made his way to the showering facility once more. The door was still closed, and he could still hear laughter within. It sounded like they were playing. It made Trunks smile to think that he was in some way responsible for that. They probably never would have imagined yesterday they could have been as happy as they were today.

Trunks sat outside and waited for another thirty-five minutes before he could hear the water begin to turn off.

Trunks sat up and pressed a button on the intercom. "Everyone all done in there?"

There seemed to be a unanimous chatter that sounded like 'yes'.

Trunks opened the door. "Steam fans, please." Almost immediately, fans in the ceiling began sucking up all of the steam in the room. As the foggy steam cleared away, he began to see that their skin was now tinted bright red. Of course he looked away before seeing _too_ much. "Towels, please." The walls dispensed large, fluffy, white towels embroidered with black CC logos.

Trunks decided to explain. "You can use those to dry the extra water off."

They all began to giggle again.

Kara grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her bust. "Thank you for the help, but we know how to use a drying cloth." Trunks looked up as he recognized her voice. Now that she was partially covered, he found it a little bit easier to look at her.

"Oh. Of course you do." He smiled. "Well, when you're all finished drying off, there are clean clothes for everyone. I'll be waiting right down that main hall. You can come and get me when you're finished."

Kara smiled as he began to walk out the door. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

Trunks turned around. "No, I don't think so."

"Didn't you forget to leave out the underwear?"

Trunks began blushing again. He had totally forgotten to take their underwear out of the capsule, but how did she know that? He pulled the small case from his pocket, opened it up removing a capsule. Using his thumb, he clicked the top and tossed it to the ground. In a loud BMAF, and a puff of smoke, a large box appeared. He nodded to them and walked out the door again.

Once more, Kara stopped him. "Trunks?"

He turned around as the sound of her voice sweetly spelled out his name. "Yes?" He waited patiently for her to say something.

Her lips curled up into a smile. "Thank you very much." She bowed her head elegantly.

"Sure thing."

Trunks waited down the hall for several minutes before they were ready. They all looked very pretty in their Capsule gear. They each had a nice pair of loose fitting pants, capsule corp. brand belts, soft cotton shirts, and comfortable vests. They looked like a walking ad from Capsule Magazine. He stood up, inspecting their new appearance with a smile. Kara was standing in the front of the group.

"Does everything fit you okay?"

Kara nodded. "After wearing dirty, shredded rags for so long, I don't think any of us will complain about wearing something a bit too big or small."

"Fair enough. I bet you're all hungry… so if you could follow me to the kitchen I can get you some food."

They walked down the long hallway, following Trunks towards the kitchen. Trunks entered only to see Bulma cutting up vegetables.

"Hey son! I hope you brought me some hungry Natamoru!"

"Natamoru?"

"Yeah! They originated on the planet Natamoru; thus they as a whole _are_ Natamoru! Are you trying to tell me that after all this time you didn't even ask them what planet they were from?"

"It came up earlier, I just…."

"You just forgot, right? Well, I think they can find it in their hearts to forgive you! Right girls?"

Some of them giggled quietly. It was almost as if they were laughing at some inside joke between them and Bulma.

They all walked around Trunks into the kitchen and found a place to sit at the large table. As they passed, Trunks could notice that the color of their skin appeared to be slowly changing from bright red back to white. At that moment, they all appeared to be a dark shade of pink. They were a beautiful race, the Natamoru, but also very fragile. Trunks could sense that there was something mysterious about them. He could tell that their true power was not in strength or manipulation of energy, but in the mind and spirit.

They all ate until they were full. Even if Bulma's cooking wasn't very close to their home cuisine, it still must have been infinitely better than what they had been eating, if they had even been used to eating at all. Trunks walked up to Bulma and placed his hand on her shoulder.

She looked up at him. "What is it Trunks?"

"Where are all of the men?"

Bulma pointed to the door. "They're all relaxing outside. You should go talk with them! You might learn something. Besides, I can't _girl talk_ with my son standing ten feet away!"

"Try not to get into trouble then." Trunks walked out the door.

Bulma waited for him to leave, and then immediately turned to the table full of beautiful Natamoru women. "Gimme the scoop! Don't you think he's just the cutest! And he's super strong too! Such a dream boat, hmm?!"

They all laughed together at the boldness of her questions.

As soon as Trunks stepped onto the emerald terrace of the courtyard he could sense an undeniable energy. The men of Natamoru were in a state of perpetual joy. Laugher filled the air as they danced and played just as innocent children do. For the first time Trunks could remember, he was somewhere other than the Nawa Grocery with a smile on his face that wasn't forced or ingenuine. In the course of one day, Trunks faced his nightmare and was victorious. He was also reminded of something he had forgotten: the value of life and the reason he fought so hard to protect it.


	4. Chapter 4: The Great Dream

**Chapter 4: The Great Dream**

As he looked around, Trunks couldn't picture a more serene setting. The sun was shining down on the emerald green, artificial terrace and the Natamoru men were making joyful noises as they played with each other; free of a single care. It was such a change from earlier that it was almost too wonderful to believe. After scanning the area, Trunks noticed the elder Natamoru from the ship. He was sitting with his back against a tree, covered by the shade. He seemed to be the only one not celebrating on the open terrace. Trunks slowly approached him. He paused at the tree before reaching down to unbuckle his boots. He kicked them off and sat against the tree next to him. He pulled off his socks and began rolling the legs of his pants up to his knees. The lone Natamoru turned his attention to Trunks.

"Greetings young hero." His face looked weathered with wisdom as his cheeks wrinkled to make room for a smile.

"Hello."

"I did not introduce myself properly when we met earlier. My name is Kaeke, and I am the so-called leader of this group." He extended his hand forward. It was thin and soft. Trunks smiled, reaching his hand forward to complete the gesture.

"It's nice to finally know you Kaeke."

"But of course, the honor is all mine."

"Now that we've been introduced, could you tell me something?"

"Certainly."

Trunks paused for a moment before choosing his words. "How did your people end up on that ship?"

Kaeke held his breathe as he contemplated his answer to the question. "It certainly would be nice if you knew that, seeming as you saved us. Now that our ordeal is over, I would be more than happy to explain everything to you." He cleared his throat before continuing. "Three years ago on the planet Natamoru, that ship landed near the outskirts of our city. We are a quiet race of people, and although we have our own extensive training, we rarely resort to violence."

Trunks' interest was captivated. "What kind of training?"

Kaeke found the young warrior's curiosity to come as no surprise. "I'll explain that another time, but for now allow me to continue. The three warlords that you defeated came out and quickly made their demands. They wanted to enslave our entire planet. We called for reinforcements, and within hours the royal guard had arrived, but not before they had taken fifty of us onboard. After they fled the atmosphere, we felt their ship emit a jolt of energy towards our planet."

Trunks' eyes widened. "What happened?"

"We are not sure. For all we know our home planet of Natamoru was destroyed three years ago." Kaeke's face looked as though he had not thought of this possibility for a long time.

"We might be able to find out here." Trunks placed a hand on his shoulder.

When Kaeke looked up, a sparkle of hope was glimmering in his eyes. "You might?"

"Sure. We're having that ship transported as we speak. I can bet you anything that the computer mainframe will have some log of events from three years ago. All we have to do is use that information with our own computers to find the location of your planet. If everything is alright we can send you home in the next few days."

Trunks seemed so sure about the entire processes, that it brought a small tear to Kaeke's eye. "You give me great expectations to look forward to. Hope for all of us."

Trunks nodded. "Please, continue."

"Very well. As I said there were fifty of us. Twelve female pairs with one eldest, and twelve male pairs and myself."

"Pairs?"

Kaeke smiled. "You see Trunks, on Natamoru the children are born as either twin boys or twin girls."

"Are you serious?" Trunks did notice that some of the women looked similar, but how could he have missed the fact that they were all identical twins?

Kaeke continued his explanation. "Having twins separated is damaging to both twins, so our village had no other choice when they were forced to choose the first to go aboard our capturer's ship. They sent me and a female elder along as guardians, but as you may have guessed, we proved to be no help at all. We never seriously considered that we would be slaves. We thought we would surely be saved before then."

"What happened to your twin?"

Kaeke bowed his head in silence for a moment. "He was born lifeless beside me."

Trunks bit his tongue in regret, but before he could apologize.

Kaeke interrupted him again, as if he knew it was coming. "It is a natural phenomenon on Natamoru. A single live child represents prosperity and leadership, and is raised to be a leader. The legend on Natamoru goes that the soul of the child is split during conception to be rejoined together at a later time. But if the child chooses to be whole at conception, then both halves were never separated."

"I see." Trunks swallowed, listening intently.

"There are six pairs of women remaining, and ten pairs of men plus myself. Sadly, if one part in a pair dies, the other follows them in mourning, almost certainly. Nine died over the three years, but their other halves followed them to the next dimension."

Trunks pulled his legs a little bit closer to his chest. "Such a sad story. Your people are strong for lasting under such tremendous adversity."

Kaeke nodded once more. "But that is all over. Trunks, you know that you have given us another chance at life, so please don't regret for our loss. Feel joy for our emancipation."

He was right, and Trunks knew it. As sad as their story may have been, Trunks was just looking for a reason not to feel as proud as he did.

Soft footsteps made their way from the Capsule Corp. building towards the tree where the two men were talking quietly. Kaeke looked over Trunks' shoulder and smiled. Trunks turned around to see the girl from the shower earlier. Despite the fact that she was clothed, he could immediately recall her name.

"Oh, Kara...right?"

Kaeke chuckled at Trunks. "Close, but wrong. This is her sister, Mel."

Trunks wasn't surprised at his mistake. They were completely identical after all. "I'm sorry." Trunks stood up. His eyes met Mel's and he could immediately sense her frustration as she spoke.

"We need to talk. Would you please?" Her voice sounded nervous.

Trunks looked at Kaeke but the elder Natamoru could only smile at Trunks.

She cleared her throat. "I understand if you don't want to, but it's very important that I say something to you."

A drop of sweat appeared on the back of his head. He wondered, what she could possibly have to say, but there was only one way to find out. "Sure, let's go." He motioned towards a path along the side of the Capsule Corporation, she silently agreed and they began walking.

The path leading from the terrace was smooth and man-made. Trunks walked slowly with his hands in his pockets. He casually glanced over at Mel. It was strange trying to see her as a different person than Kara. Her arms were crossed over her chest and her head was tilted towards the ground. She looked very cute in her Capsule gear. She was wearing loose fitting dark green pants with white stripes down the legs and a gray hooded sweatshirt that was covered with Capsule logos. Her hair was long and beautiful, and her skin was still tinted light pink from the showers.

She glanced up, catching Trunks admiring her outfit. "You think it's an improvement from before?"

Trunks quickly looked away. "Of course." He could tell that she felt nervous. If she only knew how he felt.

"Trunks…this is hard for me to say…but…" She stopped walking.

Trunks paused and looked back. "Are you okay?"

She bit her bottom lip as she spoke. "I…I'm…sorry…." She stood there, frozen in place.

Trunks didn't know what to do. After a few moments she covered her cheeks with both of her thin hands as it looked like she began to cry. He walked forward and wrapped his arm around her back, patting it. He began to rub his hand up and down her back slowly. It reminded him of the way his mother used to rub his back to make him fall asleep when he was a child. He could tell that a lot had changed about him in the last three years. He finally felt like he was becoming a man.

Her entire body was shaking. After only a moment, she had wrapped both of her arms around his waist and buried her face in his chest. This was not the way he expected the walk to go. In the back of his mind he thought she was originally going to warn him to stay away from her sister. How could he have been so assuming when all she wanted to do was apologize? He stood there silently until she had finished crying, and then he continued to stand there. She took a step back, wiping her cheeks.

Trunks broke the silence. "Mel, you don't have to be sorry."

She looked into his eyes. Her large single-colored glistening eyes were the same pale shade of blue as her hair. "No, Trunks…I'm sorry for the way I reacted towards you…please understand that I was treated poorly by those creatures, and didn't understand what I was talking about."

"It's all right. I can forgive you easily."

After a few moments she rubbed her cheeks with the baggy sleeves of her sweatshirt. "My heart felt so much pain after what I said. I just couldn't imagine that there was anyone in the universe like you."

He smiled at her comment. "Hey, it's a big universe. Don't give me too much credit."

She began to laugh. "I just wanted to apologize and thank you personally, so I'm sorry…and thank you."

"You're welcome." Having finished, she turned and walked away. Trunks didn't try and stop her. He knew that it must have been hard enough for her to come forward and say that. He wouldn't extend her discomfort any longer. He waited for a minute before he returned to the tree where Kaeke remained sitting patiently.

Kaeke greeted Trunks as he reclaimed his seat. "Did you have a good walk?"

"I'm not really sure. I think so." Trunks closed his eyes and pressed his fingertips against his forehead in thought.

"She is bound to be confused and irrational after the way those villains abused her body for so long."

Trunks eyes shot open as he choked on the thought. "You don't mean that…" His voice quietly trailed off.

"For the past eight months, her life was meaningless as anything but a mere concubine for those three monsters."

Trunks clenched his fists. His entire body was hot with anger. His mind replayed every second of his encounter with those vile aliens earlier, from the sound of their voices to smells of their breath, and suddenly he could see Mel stuck in the middle of those beasts…for eight months. "Monsters…"

"She was not the only one. They did that from the very beginning. Most of the girls didn't last very long because of that. They would take a pair and make them decide night after night which of the two would go to them. Most girls lasted five months, maybe six if they were lucky. But sooner or later the stress would reach them, and they would just break down, dying from a polluted and broken heart. When it was time for Mel and Kara to be chosen, Mel took it on her self to make the sacrifice for her sister every night. We never thought she would last a month on her own, but knowing that her sister's dignity and purity were safe kept her alive, and thank the stars that she lasted as long as she did. She saved hers and her sister's lives as well as her sister's integrity as a woman."

Trunks wiped the tears out of his eyes before they could spill out. Suddenly the simple embrace that he shared with that deeply emotional girl became so much more in the matter of a minute. Trunks turned his eyes to Kaeke. "Why are you telling me this?"

Kaeke looked back deeply into Trunks' eyes. "Because you wanted to know. Do not betray your heart Trunks. You came here with certain questions. The least I could do is answer your curiosity."

Trunks paused in thought. It was true, he wanted to know, and now he did. He wondered how easy it was for Kaeke to pick up on those feelings or thoughts.

"I think it would be better for Mel and Kara both if you pretended that you didn't know." Kaeke stood up, followed shortly by Trunks. "I think they've both grown attached to you, and you should wait for them to come forward before revealing that you know so much." Kaeke placed his hand on Trunks shoulder and gave it a little squeeze. "Now, if you'll excuse me, we'll have to finish our conversation later."

Trunks could feel a warm pulse of energy travel up his spine, and he couldn't help but crack a small and humble smile at Kaeke. His mind was still racing as the elder Natamoru walked away as if the secret he shared was nothing at all. Before he could totally sort out what just happened, a buzzer on his wristband chimed, timed perfectly to interrupt his thoughts. He held his wristband up to see an all too familiar smiling face.

"What's up mom?" He stood with both hands in his pockets.

Bulma was smiling into the grainy camera. Trunks could hear girls in the background. "Hey, I'm showing some of the ladies our research and development lab, but a couple of girls wanted to take a nap. Do you think you could show them to their rooms?"

"Sure thing, I'll be right in."

Trunks made his way into the Capsule Corp. building. When he entered the kitchen he immediately saw two young Natamoru women sitting at the table. One of the girls had straight shoulder length hair parted in the front. By human standards she looked teenaged, but her large eyes didn't make her any less beautiful. The other was taller than most with short wavy hair. She looked mature and sophisticated. They were both dressed to kill in the latest gear from Capsule Corporation.

"Hi Trunks." The tall girl had a sweet, quiet voice. "I'm Creema."

"Hey Trunks, I'm Bell." Her voice was quiet and cute. They both fulfilled his expectations from first sight. They seemed silently ecstatic to finally be talking to him. Or at least it seemed that way to Trunks.

"Ladies, if you would walk this way." They both stood up, anxious to follow. They all walked down the sanitary white halls until they reached an elevator. Trunks pushed a button, and instantly the doors were opened. They all stepped inside and the doors shut. Trunks' finger hovered over the buttons as he stood in thought. Bell quietly reached over and pressed the button for the fourth floor. Trunks looked at her. She looked too proud of her self with a king-sized smile stretched across her thin face.

"Your mother told us we would be sleeping on the fourth floor."

Trunks scratched his chin for a moment before pressing the button for the fifth floor.

"Don't worry, it was a simple mistake." _Ha ha, very funny_, he thought. Trunks had the only bedroom on the fourth floor. The guestrooms were on the fifth floor. It seemed like Bulma would never rest. The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. Trunks walked with the girls down the hall until they reached the first door. He quickly typed in a four-digit code, and it slid open.

"Can I sleep in this one?" Creema asked Trunks.

"Sure you can. There is a lock on the door for privacy. You can use your intercom in case you need anything. Do you remember how to get around the building?"

She walked inside yawning, shaking her head yes to Trunks' questions. She waved goodbye and slowly closed the door.

Trunks looked over to Bell. She was standing with both hands held in front of her, waiting patiently. They both walked to the next room over. Trunks punched in another four-digit code and the door slid open.

"This must be me." Her voice sounded like that of an excited teenager.

"It sure is. Like I said before, there's a lock on the door for privacy."

"But I bet you could still get in using that password if you wanted to." She made an assuming wink.

Trunks blushed. "You don't have to worry, I would never…"

She giggled at the comment. "I was just kidding."

"Alright then. I hope you enjoy your nap." He began to walk away.

"Trunks wait!"

He stopped, turning his head. The look of surprise on his face was comical. "What is it?"

She paused for a moment, staring at the ground. "Bulma said that she might take on some apprentices. Since we stick together in pairs…I was just wondering…"

"Wondering what, Bell?"

She looked up with a smile. "You remembered my name?"

Trunks tilted his head. "Why? Should I forget it?" His smile caused her to giggle quietly. "So, what was it that you were wondering?"

"Oh…never mind," she smiled, "I'll ask you again later. Thank you, Trunks."

"Sleep well then."

She smiled once more before closing the door. At this point, Trunks was beyond feelings of confusion. He wondered how all of these women could keep throwing themselves at him, that is, if that was what they kept on doing. It could have something to do with the fact that earlier he saved their lives. Either way it still brought on all new feelings. Trunks yawned. For the first time that he could remember he felt tired in the middle of the day. He decided that taking a nap might not be a bad idea, and so he headed for his room on the fourth floor.

As he entered the room, a floodgate of thought opened wide and his mind quickly became subdued by the waters. He had thoughts about the battle, the Natamoru and all of the strange events of the day. He remembered Ms. Nawa, as if he could have forgotten her. She had called earlier. He wondered what she needed to talk to Bulma about. As he lied down on the bed, the river of thoughts caused him to drift into darkness and soon he was fast asleep.

It seemed like only a moment after he dozed off that there was a knock on his door. He sat up. His voice seemed strangely quiet to him, almost inaudible.

"Who is it?"

"It's me."

It was the voice of Bell.

"What are you doing? Is something wrong?"

"Can I come in?" Her voice was filled with excitement.

Trunks felt strange. His thought process wasn't working the way it normally did. "Sure. Come on in."

With that word, the door opened, and Bell stepped into the room. She was dressed completely different from the last time he saw her. He tried to get up, but his legs were moving more slowly than usual, completely unnatural.

"I didn't know that you were as tired as I was." Her voice was still sweet, but somewhat stronger than it was before.

"If you're so tired, then what are you doing up?" He placed his hand against his head for a moment.

Bell paused. She looked confused until she realized that Trunks was the one confused. She quickly walked across the room. "Trunks, that's great! You don't even realize it yet do you?"

"What are you talking about?"

She sat down on the bed next to him and kissed him on the cheek. His face felt warm and numb at the same time. He knew that she had just kissed him, but it felt natural.

"Can you tell me what time it is, Trunks?"

As strange as she was acting, Trunks didn't argue. He searched the room with his eyes until he found a clock. The numbers were blurry. "I guess it's…uh…" The numbers on the clock didn't make sense.

"Did you figure it out yet, or do you want me to give you a hint?"

Trunks looked even more confused than ever. "Please, just tell me what's going on." Bell laughed and pushed him off of the bed with a single hand. He landed on the floor in shock.

"This is a dream Trunks! Welcome to semi-reality!"

"What?" Things started making sense, but the big question on Trunks' mind was….

Bell spoke before Trunks could put his thoughts to words. "How is this possible? That's easy Trunks. How about I give you the basic explanation? From birth, my people are able to stay conscious during sleep while we dream, even as a little baby. This allows us to understand dreams completely at an early age. That is why you've probably gotten the feeling that we're reading your mind while you're awake, because we sort of are."

"What?!"

"Don't worry, we don't make it personal, we just like to know how people feel. So, when I went to sleep, I immediately built a dreamscape where I was just sitting around and relaxing. I was about to dream, but a couple of minutes later I could literally hear your unconscious mind calling out and I wanted to see you."

"You heard me?"

She nodded in agreement. "When living creatures sleep they emit energy waves that travel on a sort of dream wavelength. I just happened to pick up on yours."

"That's fine, but how did you…get here?"

"Oh, you're wondering how I traveled inside of your dream? Well, we're both sleeping, and we're both dreaming, so it was just a matter of me connecting our dreamscapes. I asked you if I could come in, and you let me. Don't you remember?"

"I understand that, but why did you want to connect our dreams?"

His words caught her off guard. She stood from the bed and took a few steps back. "I guess I just wanted to be with you. I wanted to share this with you before anyone else did."

Trunks stood from the bed. He felt dizzy when trying to stand. "I didn't expect such an honest answer…"

"Well Trunks, It's difficult to lie in a dream…In real life there are emotions that get in the way because of the body we exist in, but when you're already in a dream, what do you have to lose? I just know that there are plenty of girls dying to dream with you, and I wanted to be the first."

"I never really thought of it like that…"

"Why should I hide any feelings I have for you in this dream? This dream is my opportunity to tell you how I really feel."

Trunks sat down on the bed again. "So how do you feel?"

Bell walked towards him. "Are you all right Trunks? You look like you're having trouble staying conscious."

He looked up at her. "I'm sorry, but I keep on forgetting that none of this is real."

"That's your problem? Here's some advice. Anytime you can't tell if it's a dream or real life, convince yourself. Do anything that might tell you that you aren't awake. If you practice enough, maybe some day you'll be knocking on my door, asking to come in."

"Is that possible?"

She reached down and grabbed his hand. "Anything is possible. Let's do something special before we both wake up."

The idea seemed good enough to him. "Alright, where should we go?" They floated towards the far wall. She pushed the window open with her fingertips and it shattered into nothing. Upon looking outside, Trunks saw a purple sky that stretched towards a bleeding red sun. Gazing down revealed a pink ocean with sparkling water splashing. Bell ran her fingers through his hair and winked. Suddenly they began falling downward to the water below. They parted the waves with a simple and silent splash. Trunks could immediately feel water rapidly slipping across his skin as they both traversed the ocean at an insane speed. Although Trunks knew they were underwater, his breathing was natural and uninhibited. He closed his eyes and began to relax. He could feel the dream world around him like liquid energy. His heart began to race as he focused on the soft, thin hand that was holding him inside of the shared dream. When he opened his eyes he saw Bell hovering over him, covered with a dim red light that reflected through the pink water. Her hair was floating freely as the underwater dream slowed down to a halt. He blinked a few times to adjust to the sensation of standing still underwater. He felt safe knowing that the she was controlling the outcome of the dream.

"Trunks…I wanted you to know that this is my first shared dreamscape…ever."

"You're making this? This world we're in…" For a brief moment he could sense the connection they shared through the dream. "Where are we?"

She placed her finger against his lips. He could feel his voice silence with the gesture. "This is Natamoru….don't ever forget . . .don't forget about me Trunks."

Before he could answer her, she vanished. He could feel her being sucked out of the dream, along with the connection they were sharing. The marvelous pink ocean that Trunks was floating in was also sucked away. When he opened his eyes again there was no purple sky and no blood red sun..

"Where am I now?" His voice echoed like a shadow turning into darkness. As he looked through the blackness of the void, a picture began to form. It came into focus, and Trunks realized that he was gazing at his own self. He was watching from the outside of his nightmare. He saw himself, sinking face first into the mud, desperately trying to push off of the ground. He walked forward as the rain began to fall from above. He looked down, and there he was, cast away at his own feet, face sinking into a murky brown puddle. Across the way he could see Gohan, and even further passed that he could see two pairs of red glowing eyes. He reached down, grabbing the younger version of himself by the arm. He helped him stand upright.

"Thanks…" The younger version of Trunks seemed completely immersed in the dream like an animal snared in a trap.

"Are you all right?"

His dream self's eyes widened in horror. "No . . . I can't do it alone. I tried so hard, and nothing happened. What am I supposed to do about the Androids? They killed Gohan! What's going to happen to the future?" His voice sounded like he was on the brink of madness.

"What about all of those things? You already defeated the Androids and I know that Gohan is proud of you for everything you've done. I know he has faith that you will use what you have been given to protect the future. And what about your dreams? You've been so scared of the future, you don't even remember what you're living for. Let it go now. We can do this together."

"But…what about tomorrow?"

Trunks smiled. He finally knew the answer. "Let tomorrow sleep. You're awake today." The young Trunks smiled. Gohan's body slowly vanished from the mud. The two pairs of eyes shattered like glass in the distance and suddenly… the rain ceased.

Trunks' slowly opened his eyes to reveal the ceiling of his room. He blinked several times to reassure himself that he was really in his room this time. He sat up and looked at the clock. It was ten seventeen and already dark outside.

"How could I have slept for such a long amount of…?" He thought about Bell. Had he imagined the whole thing? He remembered her final words. It seemed too real to not find out for sure. He decided to get out of bed and take a walk.

He went downstairs into the kitchen. All of the lights were out. Out of habit he opened the refrigerator and looked around. After a short search he pulled out a jar of pickles and set them on the counter top. Suddenly the light flickered on. Trunks' eyes darted across the room until they came across a thin young girl standing by the light switch.

"Bell…" He smiled as she walked into the light.

"No, sorry to disappoint you. That's my sister, my name is Gem." They looked identical. Trunks knew that he would have to adjust soon to this idea of twins. Dealing with six pairs of twins could eventually become dangerous. As soon as she spoke he could tell that they were two completely different people.

"Oh, I see. Sorry about that."

"Yes, my sister is already fast asleep. She must have done something earlier that exhausted all of her energy. That's strange. She's usually so full of life." She looked at Trunks as if she was trying to figure him out at a glance.

Trunks remembered what Bell said about the Natamoru being able to read his mind, so he quickly eliminated the silence. "Well, you all must be tired after what you've been through."

She quirked an eyebrow. "Is that so? Well, you must be right considering all but a handful of my people are sleeping like babies. They deserve a good rest though, don't they?"

Trunks nodded in agreement. "Of course." He easily loosened the lid of the pickle jar. "Would you like one?"

She scrunched up her face at the sight. "I'll have to pass right now Trunks. I think I'm going to go to bed. Tomorrow is going to be a big day. It does happen to be the first day in the past three years that I won't be waking up next to a greasy foot."

"Well, you always have that to look forward to."

She turned her head with a smile as she walked towards the hallway. "Goodnight then." She gently ran her fingertips along the wall until she found the light switch. "Sweet dreams Trunks." With a click the room was filled with darkness.

He wondered what she meant by 'sweet dreams'. He was still tired. He would worry about it later. Sleeping through the rest of the night sounded like a great idea. He wasn't afraid of having nightmares anymore. He would have to thank someone later for that.


	5. Chapter 5: For a Reason

**Chapter 5: For a Reason**

Light came through the window blinds and cut across the bed like thin blades. A particularly bright beam slashed Trunks across the face, causing him to squint in his sleep. The temporary trauma was enough to force open one eye. Trunks' instinctual morning thoughts decided that it was time to pull his body out of bed. Running on the fumes of pure will, Trunks gathered enough motivation to sit up. This morning seemed strange. As the blood flow returned to normal in his body, he realized that for the first time in three years he had slept through the entire night and his sheets were not soaked in sweat. The clock was flashing one fifteen. Trunks assumed that something must have happened about an hour ago to reset the breaker. He removed his wristband from the bedpost and checked the time. It was ten thirty.

"Alright, first I'll go to visit Ms. Nawa…Then Roshi, Chi-Chi..." A picture of Bell slid into his head, stopping his train of thought. What was he going to do about the Natamoru? Before he could give it any thought the door to his room burst open. It was Bulma.

"Well look who missed the worm twice!" She was standing with both hands on her hips, proving that she could still be menacing if she needed to.

Trunks stood up, stretching his muscles. "Ouch. I ache all over." He bent down to rub his calves. "I guess that's what happens after training for so long to just stop completely."

"Maybe you should just learn how to sleep regular hours. Now hurry out of bed, you have places to be and people you promised me you'd visit!" Having made her mark, she stepped out of the room, leaving him alone.

He quickly riffled through the belongings in his closet before settling on a large green sweatshirt with yellow stripes on the sleeves and gratuitous CC logos and markings covering the chest and back. He slid a pair of gray sweatpants over his shorts, tying them at the waist.

Upon stepping outside, Trunks removed a small capsule from one of his carrying cases. He dropped it, revealing a state of the art hover jet after the smoke cleared. Walking would have been fine for any other day, but he had space to traverse and he was already late. He hopped inside, started up the engines and zoomed on his way. It was strange for Trunks to imagine that only twenty-four hours ago he was saving the planet earth from imminent slavery. One thing he regretted was not being able to share his stories with Ms. Nawa. He didn't want her to look at him any differently than she already did. They had a special friendship, and he didn't want anything to ruin that.

Before he knew it, the five-minute flight into the heart of Pepper Town was over. He parked the ship and returned it to its capsule with a puff of smoke and a loud BANGG. He had safely arrived at his destination. The open doorway to the Nawa Grocery was the most welcoming sight to Trunks' sore eyes. To Ms. Nawa, only a day had passed since their last encounter, but to Trunks, an entire world was changed and altered in the course of that single day. He felt nervous as he stepped through the door until the familiar smell of vanilla filled his nostrils. A smile spread across his face as he saw the pretty bun of red hair sticking out from the top of an opened newspaper. He wrapped his knuckles gently on the counter. The newspaper crinkled as it lowered, revealing two shining emerald orbs behind a pair of thin-framed glasses. Ms. Nawa lowered her paper and systematically pushed her glasses on top of her hair. A thin red strand that was tucked behind her ear fell slowly in front of her face as her lips curled into the sweetest smile imaginable.

"Trunks!"

Hearing his name in such a sweet way melted his heart.

"Good morning."

She blew the crimson tuft of hair upwards and lifted her watch in a single motion. "I was almost certain that you weren't coming today. I Thought I would be stuck reading this paper another three times before one thirty."

"Why, what's going on at one thirty?"

Ms. Nawa rolled her eyes in an attempt to look suspicious. "Oh, nothing. I'm just closing up early. Call it a personal holiday."

"Well it's good that I didn't show up any later."

"So what was with that experiment the day before yesterday? Was that thing one of your crazy ideas Trunks?"

"What do you mean?"

"I find that a little hard to believe that you don't know anything about that."

His heart dropped. He realized that she was talking about the cover up for earth's most recent visitors. "Oh, of course! No, that was mom. You confused me for a minute, you said the day before yesterday."

Ms. Nawa gave him a quirky look. "Are you feeling all right Trunks? You're acting kind of strange. I called yesterday to make sure you were all right, but Bulma said that you were sleeping like a log."

A puzzled look crept over his face. "I don't understand…I just saw you yesterday."

Ms. Nawa chuckled. "Trunks, don't tell me that you thought today was yesterday?" She covered her mouth trying not to embarrass him.

"But-"

She quickly interrupted him. "You completely slept through yesterday!"

Trunks was surprised at first but it all starting making sense. Like a flashback, hundreds of dreams flickered into his mind. He must have had complete release from the nightmares that imprisoned him for so long. After all, he slept for nearly thirty-six hours in total.

"I'm so sorry Ms. Nawa…"

She swatted her hand through the air in dismissal.

"Why, because you didn't see me one day? I was so happy to hear that you finally got a full night of rest, even if it was more like two full nights that I didn't mind. Did something happen for you to get over those nightmares?" Once again she merely proved how much she really knew about Trunks.

"I suppose so." He said before smiling slightly.

"It wasn't a girl was it?" She went to nudge him in the ribs. He exhaled a deep breath and imagined the safest route away from this line of questioning.

"I'm not sure, it kind of just happened on its own."

"Good. That's all that matters to me." There was a short, tense pause. "So, what do you have planned now?"

"My mother wanted me to go and visit some of my old friends today…I mean yesterday, but today will have to do."

Ms. Nawa gave him a surprised look followed by a smile. "Well I'm proud of you! You really are turning into quite a man Trunks. I can tell."

He began to blush slightly. He always felt strange when she talked to him as if she was his mother. Although she was nearly as old as Bulma, he could never picture her in that role.

"Thank you."

"Now quit stalling and get out of here! I'm sure your friends will have plenty of good things to say to you. Besides, I think I'm going to close up early and you're a day late!"

"Why close any earlier than you already planned?"

She bent down behind the counter and reappeared with a closed sign in her hand. "Trunks, be honest. People only shop here because of my help during that big Android saga. I know for a fact that they can get their groceries a lot cheaper elsewhere."

"They're still missing out on kindness no matter how cheap they get their produce."

She smiled warmly at the comment. "I guess it's my turn to blush. Figures! That's what I get for making you so embarrassed all the time." She walked around the counter and opened the door of the grocery. She hung the closed sign on the door and turned to Trunks.

Trunks walked towards the door. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then?"

She smiled before blowing a thin crimson band of hair out of her face. "Sure thing. I'll have to call your mother for coffee sometime." She let him out the door, and closed it quietly after him. He turned from his hover jet and caught a quick wave through the dusty window of the store before driving away.

She was right, he thought to himself as he sped out of the city and over the countryside. He had skipped his training in order to visit some old friends. His body was still sore. Defeating those three aliens was hardly enough exercise for one day. It reminded him of how easily he had defeated Frieza and his father King Cold. He was much weaker then, even as a Super Saiyan, than he was now. He was practically still a child. It seemed like the nightmares always left him feeling like a child. But that was over now. He could tell that something was different inside of him. There was a new fire burning in the place of his desire to constantly train. He felt awkward letting go of his normal routine, but it excited him and he felt ready to take on anything.

Ms. Nawa pulled the blinds closed on the window as Trunks darted around a corner and out of her sight. The store was silent. There was a quiet rumble from the city around her. Closing her eyes she could almost hear the scarred world around her healing. She took a deep breath and walked back to the cash register, bending down to grab her jacket and purse. She was on her way to the bus station to pick up Nadia. She knew that she would be early, but she wanted to make sure that she didn't miss her daughter's arrival. It had been a long time since she last looked into Nadia's eyes. She knew that with a little help, this could turn out to be a great summer not just for her and Bulma but for Nadia and Trunks as well.

She left the grocery, locking the door behind her and began walking down the streets of Pepper Town. A lot had changed over the last few years. A lot of reconstruction and growth was still going on. Everyone had a new life free of fear. Small children played on the sidewalks and in the street. Children who were too young to remember; as well as children who were too old to forget the way the world used to be. Many people went back to their day-to-day lives, never looking back, but Ms. Nawa knew that it could happen again. She had seen this happen before. She was a young woman when The Saiyans invaded earth years ago, and she was in no way ready to forget.

She thought about Trunks and Nadia. She was so confident that they would meet each other and fall in love. It was strange to her that out of all the boys that ever tried to go out with Nadia, the first suitable one hadn't even asked yet. She knew Trunks was special when he first walked into the store so long ago. She could remember it well. Nadia had just left for school a few weeks earlier and she was forced to run the grocery on her own for the first time in years.

The Nawa grocery was different then, but then again, the world was different too. Ms. Nawa sat perched on a stool behind the counter as usual, when he walked in. He looked young, but so mature and full of energy. He was wearing a black tank top with a dark green jacket. He smiled to her when he first walked in and continued minding his own business. She saw the capsule logo, and decided to be chatty. She was always chatty.

"You work for Capsule?" She said with a naturally friendly voice.

"Not exactly. I'm Trunks Brief."

She remembered how humble he sounded. She could tell that he was proud, but not arrogant.

"Really? Well Trunks, it's nice to meet you." She really was impressed, but what came next impressed her more than words could say.

"What's your name?" She stepped back for a moment.

"My name? It's Ms. Nawa. I'm the owner of the Nawa Grocery."

"But what's your name…if you don't mind me asking?"

"My name? It's Lita." She could remember that for a second she felt like she was sixteen again, working part time at her parent's grocery.

"Well it's nice to meet you too Ms. Nawa."

"So what brings you here?" It wasn't often that a celebrity like Trunks Brief made an appearance at her grocery.

"Well, Capsule has plenty of food, but no fruit. I heard that this shop has the best around." It was a funny comment at the time. She knew that he was joking. Her shop was really the only shop around. They both laughed. It was the beginning of their friendship. She didn't immediately think of Nadia, but after a week of regular visits with Trunks, she knew that this was the right guy for her. Back then Nadia was busy with school. She had to uphold her scholarship and lived on campus year round. She almost never visited home because any free time she had she was being shipped around to different dance exhibitions. She could remember the first time she brought him up over the phone with Nadia. It could have meant disaster to the whole plan.

"Hello?"

"How are you doing sweetie?"

"Hi mommy. I'm alright."

Ms. Nawa could tell immediately that Nadia wasn't being completely honest. "What's the matter dear?"

"Oh, nothing. It's just that I'm under a lot of pressure."

"What kind of pressure?"

"I'm just worried about succeeding. I keep pushing myself…but sometimes it's not enough. I'm way better than all of the other girls, but that's not good enough for me."

"Well relax because you always do your very best."

It didn't take much to make her feel better.

"I know that you're right."

"Well cheer up honey, because I have some great news!"

"What, what is it?"

"I met the nicest boy yesterday…"

There was a long pause on Nadia's end of the phone. "Mother, please don't do this to me."

"What? What am I doing?"

"You know that I'm already seeing someone. Would you please stop meddling in my affairs?"

That was when she knew that Nadia would never willingly meet Trunks. No matter how perfect he was, it was still someone her mother picked for her. She decided to lie. Maybe this way Trunks may still have a chance later.

"Well his name is Steven, and he's a bright philosopher." She knew that she could wait for a better moment and sneak Trunks into some other conversation. A different approach might work better if she gave it some time.

"Well I hope you didn't already plan a date for us, because I don't have the time any ways."

"You're right, it was silly of me…"

Two years later, Nadia was single and on her way home for the summer break. Over those years Ms. Nawa's friendship with Bulma had also blossomed as much as her friendship with Trunks. She knew that Bulma was having her own troubles finding her son a bride, but she was a bit more persistent. It reminded her of how this whole plan started. She was sitting with Bulma at Capsule Corporation.

"I've tried everything with Trunks. I'm starting to wonder if he likes boys more."

Ms. Nawa gasped almost coughing up a sip of iced tea. "I don't think so Bulma. I just think that he needs to meet the right girl."

"Well where is she?"

Ms. Nawa folded her hands in her lap with a smile. "Bulma, did you know that I have a daughter?"

"Yes of course, you've mentioned her before. Does she have a family?"

A drop of sweat appeared on the back of Ms. Nawa's head. "How old do you think I am?!" She paused, closing her eyes, pressing her fingertips against the side of her head and taking a deep breath. "No, Nadia is only a couple of years older than Trunks."

"So where is she now?"

"She's at a very prestigious dance college in North City. She's finally coming home for the summer to be with me."

"That's good. It'll be nice to meet her."

"It'll be nicer for Trunks to meet her I think, if you get what I mean."

Bulma's questioning eyes paused before slowly widening, followed by her lips, which curved into a smile equally wide. "That's the greatest news I've ever heard! Does Trunks know yet?"

Ms. Nawa held her finger up to her lip to quiet Bulma. "No. He doesn't even know that I have a daughter."

"What? How can that be? You two talk everyday"

"He never asked, and I wanted him to be surprised by her so I never told him. If he would have known about her for the past two years, he might treat her like a sister when she came home."

Bulma's eyes narrowed at Ms. Nawa. "I've been doing it all wrong; you know what's going on."

"I just don't know the best way to work this all together."

Bulma began to scratch her chin. "You said she was going to a dance school, right? Well why don't you have her take a few summer classes here at Capsule Corp.?"

"Would that work?"

"Of course it would. We can schedule some classes right now."

"But, I don't understand how…"

"Just leave that up to me. I have a great idea."

She did have a great idea. She would teach Nadia in Physics, Computer Technologies and World History while Trunks could teach her Data Ciphering, Capsule Technology and Phys. Ed. It might have looked suspicious to have only Nadia attending classes, so she opened enrollment on a selective basis. Everything was turning out better than she could have imagined. It seemed that her passing thoughts carried her all the way to the bus station.

* * *

Trunks' trail of thoughts led him to a small island in the south ocean. The faded pink paint and bold red letters of the house were a dead-give-away that he was at the right place. He could see Master Roshi sitting in a folding chair with a magazine covering his face. The hover jet splashed a mist of water into the air as it lowered, preparing to land. The engines kicked up clouds of sand and ruffled the pages of the magazine that was acting as the old man's blanket. No doubt the old pervert was dreaming of the cute bathing suit girls within its pages or something even dirtier. The door to the turtle hermit's house slammed open and a short pig ran outside as Trunks dismounted the jet bike.

"Hurry up Puar! Trunks is here!" Oolong was dressed in blue jeans that were rolled up to the knees and a white button-up shirt that was tucked in. He ran up to Trunks with a giant smile on his face. Puar came flying out of the upstairs window, cheering quietly. All of the commotion was barely enough to cause Roshi the least bit of discomfort. The small blue cat hovered down to Trunks' eye level.

"Hello Trunks!" Oolong said with a snort.

"How have you guys been?" He replied.

The little blue cat smiled. "We've really missed you!"

Oolong grunted, interrupting her. "Really Trunks, how long has it been? Over a year at least?"

"Has it been that long?" He scratched the back of his head smiling.

Oolong looked over to Roshi. He ran up to the old man and stretched open his ear with both hands. "Wake up you old fool!"

The sound was loud enough for Roshi to jump straight off of the folding chair, screaming. When he landed, he faced Oolong, shaking his fist. "Now what did you do that for you stupid pig!"

"Trunks is here!"

Roshi's head turned to the side. Trunks was standing still, smiling politely. His look of anger faded into a toothless grin followed by the laughter of a dirty old man.

"Well why didn't ya say so!" He fixed his crooked sunglasses and grabbed his cane before walking to the door of the house.

"Come on inside! I finally got the AC fixed!" He laughed again before walking in.

Oolong looked to the door before whispering to Trunks behind his hand. "There really isn't any air conditioning. Roshi is just kind of… starting to go a little…-" He was cut off by a voice from inside of the house.

"I heard that!"

Trunks couldn't help but laugh as they began to walk to the door. "You three haven't changed a bit."

Puar giggled, floating closer to Trunks' face. "But you certainly have. I can see you've gotten a lot stronger since the last time we saw you."

Oolong pushed the door open. The inside of the Kame house was timeless. It seemed like it was the only thing that didn't change from the other reality. For a moment it made Trunks feel nostalgic. It really reminded him of Gohan. It made him remember how the talks he had with Gohan in the past made it easier to cope with Gohan's death in his own time. Always knowing that he lived on gave him hope.

"Hey Trunks, want something to drink?" Roshi held up a large can bluntly labeled BEER.

"No thanks Master Roshi."

"Okay, more for me then! He-he!" He set a can down on the table next to a large mug and continued to search the refrigerator while chuckling.

"How have you three been holding up?"

Puar looked saddened by the question so Oolong quickly involved himself in the conversation. "We're happy to be living above ground again!"

"Yeah! Sure beats living in a submarine!" Puar chirped happily.

"Is Roshi doing okay?" Trunks spoke quietly, but the old man set his foamy mug down with a splash and butted in.

"Why don't you ask me?" He gave a toothless grin.

Trunks blushed. "Excuse me Master Roshi, I didn't mean to-"

"Yes, yes I know. I'm too defensive in my old age, but I know what you're getting at. The truth is, I'm an old man. I've been an old man for most of my life really. I've always had lots of energy, but I seem to be slowing down in these times of peace."

"Don't speak like that you old fool!" Oolong'a eyes began watering up, but Roshi held up a hand to quite him down.

"I've been thinking about these two a lot. If anything was to happen to me I'm not quite sure who would take care of them."

"Master Roshi!" Puar's sweet little voice sounded on the verge of tears.

"Puar and Oolong have a place at Capsule whenever they like."

"Well thanks Trunks, but we like it here just fine!" Oolong snorted.

"Shut up you pigheaded jerk!" Master Roshi shook his cane in Oolong's direction.

"What did you call me old man?!" The two began staring each other down. A small, crackling bolt of electricity could be seen between their eyes.

"I brought you two something." Trunks pulled out some magazines with the words PRETTY-PRETTY on the cover.

Roshi and Oolong turned slowly, their jaws dropping, they both yelled in unison. "Gimme-gimme!" They scrambled over the table, reaching frantically.

Trunks held them back. "Promise that you'll be-"

"We promise, we promise!" They both spoke at the same time at equal volume. Trunks almost unwillingly handed over the peace offerings of dirty magazines. He looked to Puar who could only return a shrug. It was good for Trunks to be around old friends. He remembered why he was fighting in the first place. He always knew, but didn't always realize why until times like those.

In the middle of his peaceful moment, his wristwatch began buzzing. He had a bad feeling. He reluctantly lifted his wrist to see a blinking red light. He pressed the small blue button on the side and Bulma's face appeared.

"What's wrong?"

"Trunks, can you get to Capsule right away?"

He nodded, ending the transmission. He stood up, knocking his chair backwards.

"Trunks…" Puar looked up with sad eyes.

"Sorry you guys, but we have to do this some other time." He set a small case down on the table. "Here are some capsules. Feel free to visit sometime." Trunks ran out the door.

"Trunks wait!" By the time Oolong made it out of the door, the only thing left was a fading trail of energy headed towards Capsule Corp. and an abandoned jet bike, parked in front of Kame House. Oolong walked back inside. Roshi and Puar were looking through the capsules. Roshi took the liberty to speak.

"Hey Oolong, you want some herbal tea?"

Trunks could already guess what was wrong. He could feel it. It was the Natamoru. His mind was clouded, but he still knew. He could tell that someone was about to die.

* * *

Ms. Nawa looked around the bus station. She wasn't sure that she would remember her own daughter after such a long time. She laughed quietly to herself. It was an absurd idea. There's no way she could ever forget. She looked around the station. The last time she was there she was squeezing her daughter with the biggest hug that she could. She remembered waiting until the bus was out of site before she broke down into tears. Nadia was everything to her.

Remembering that day made her eyes water up again. She wiped her tears away and looked around to make sure no one saw her. It seemed like she had been waiting for a long time, so she decided to go to the information desk.

"Excuse me…"

"Can I help you?" The younger girl seemed happy to be of assistance.

"Yes, what time does bus number…" She rifled through her bag for the piece of paper.

"Where is it coming from?" She said with a helpful smile.

"North City."

The young girl looked on her computer. "That bus came in twenty minutes ago. It was an early arrival."

Ms. Nawa's heart dropped. She thought she had come early enough. She lifted her wristwatch to check what time it was, but before she could read it everything went black. Two hands were covering her eyes, and the sweetest and most familiar voice whispered into her ear.

"Guess who?"


	6. Chapter 6: Commencement

**Chapter 6: The Commencement**

Ms. Nawa turned around to face her own beautiful daughter. She looked much different than she remember, more beautiful if that was possible, and in much better shape. Her dark black hair was shorter than it used to be, and styled different than Ms. Nawa could remember it. The wild black locks fell just passed her shoulders and down her back only a couple of inches.

"Look at you, you're all grown up now!"

Nadia dropped her hands to her side and rolled her eyes. "Is that all you could think of?"

"You know me, I'm not good at those sort of memorable comments."

They both laughed quietly for a moment followed by a pause.

Nadia held both of her arms out expectantly. "Well? What are you waiting for?"

Ms. Nawa rushed forward and gave her a solid motherly-hug. "I missed you so much!"

"Me too." Nadia stepped back, still smiling. "I'm starving. Why don't we go out and get something to eat?" Nadia rubbed her thin stomach, exaggerating.

"Agreed. My treat!"

Nadia's jaw dropped as her mother grabbed the suitcase and proceeded out of the station. "Come back here!" She picked up her carry-on bag and dashed after her, trying to keep up.

* * *

Trunks landed on the emerald terrace of Capsule Corp. where a small group of Natamoru waited solemnly. He looked around for Bulma before Kara stepped forward.

"Trunks…"she whispered.

He looked at her and nodded. "Is he inside?"

She closed her eyes, two tears rolling down her cheeks. "Yes."

The crowd parted as Trunks walked inside. On his way to Capsule he could barely sense Kaeke's life force. Until that moment, he wasn't sure he made it in time. He followed the scattered trail of Natamoru to one of the guest bedrooms. Upon entering he saw Bulma sitting on a bed where Kaeke was lying down, dabbing his head with a wet towel. She turned her head and gave Trunks a stern and determined look. He knew that his mother was the caring type, refusing to show signs of despair.

Several moments after Trunks entered the room, Kaeke raised his hand slowly before speaking. "Our hero... please, come closer to me, brave, brave hero."

Trunks knelt down by the bed, and Kaeke reached out taking his hand. Bulma stood up and walked to the door. Trunks looked into her eyes before she left the two alone. He returned his gaze to Kaeke. "I was afraid I came too late. I felt your life energy fading."

"The great mystery of death is just another part of being. When I get to the other world, it is there that I will begin the greatest dream of all."

"I was hoping you would be here longer... long enough to teach me more."

"How ironic then, that I stayed only long enough for you to teach me." He laughed quietly before coughing.

"I will do everything in my power to get your people home safely. I promise."

"I appreciate your kind words. Before I go… I have gifts for you."

"Gifts?" Trunks leaned back, listening intently to the words of the dying man.

"When I am gone, find Daku and his brother Kolato. Tell them that I wished to reveal the fusion to you…"

"Fusion?" Trunks raised an eyebrow.

"Yes. It is one of our many, treasured techniques. We can trust it with a righteous warrior such as you. It may help you protect this planet some day." He paused to breathe before looking solemnly into Trunk's eyes.

As Trunks began to stare back, his body began to numb, and his eyelids became heavy. He felt as if he was falling into a trance. "What's happening?"

"I am relaxing your mind into a dream like state. It is here that I will give you your final gifts. Simply allow yourself to relax."

"But-"

"Trust my final living words. I don't have enough time to explain here."

Trunks silently agreed and soon his eyes were sealed shut, and the darkness of his mind became lit up with wild, spinning dreams. Suddenly he was standing inside of the dream, completely aware of his consciousness. Kaeke stood next to him, looking far from being on death's door. The elder Natamoru's voice was vibrant and powerful as he spoke.

"There are legends I see beginning when I look into your eyes. A path of justice with no clear end in mind, but a righteous path, carved narrow and steep...a path only you are strong enough to travel."

"What do you mean?"

Kaeke extended his arms towards Trunks. "I mean that there are millions of possibilities in anyone's life, but you have great things planned for you. I will do my best to open your mind to the pure and simple power of the choices you have."

"What do you have to tell me?"

"The first is about your strength, Trunks. I am confident that you will be able to do anything. I have foreseen you reaching an apex of power, and rising further above it. You will understand when what is right is wrong, and what is left is right. Until that time, not even the choices you have yet to make will determine the course of your destiny."

"I don't understand! What does that even mean?"

Kaeke smiled, rushing forward in his prophecy. "Second is about your heart. You may feel lonely, but do not feel alone. Like the watchman on the tower sees more things down the road than the traveler does, I have foreseen a great discovery. Do not be afraid of your choices and never shun your feelings. Your heart can never be fooled, and hope is never wasted... can never die. It is always the light in the dark."

"You can't speak in riddles, it's not fair, I don't understand! This is happening too quickly!"

Kaeke paid no mind to his comments and continued to speak at his quickened pace. "Lastly are your dreams. They are strong. They have haunted you for a long time. It has pushed you to grow stronger but they made you afraid... weaker. You can use your dreams to do anything in life and more. Once you have become the master of a dream, turning it into reality becomes as simple as breathing. All of these things I have told you are keys… go; find the doors they open, young hero." Kaeke began to slowly float away.

"You can't just leave! What should I tell the others?"

"Tell them I've been alone for my entire life, but no more. The time is not for mourning, but celebration. You are a very promising hope for this universe, Trunks."

"But…"

"Destiny has been kind to my people. It has smiled on my prayers. Thank you for the role you played in answering them. Goodbye to you."

It was in that moment that the silent music stopped playing and Trunks opened his eyes. Bulma was sitting on the bed.

"What's wrong mother?"

She wiped her tears away. "He passed."

Trunks looked at the bed. A white sheet had already been pulled over his face. "How long have I been out of it?"

"An hour, maybe."

Trunks stood up and looked towards the open door. "What should I do?"

Bulma put her hand on his leg. "Tell them what you think he wanted them to hear."

After a long pause, he took a deep breath and walked through the open door. By now all of the Natamoru were standing in the hallway outside of the room. There was a moment of silence before he smiled and spoke. "He's not alone anymore. He wants all of you to go on being happy. What good are dreams if you don't try to make them come true?" The words hung in the air. Slowly they began nodding in agreement.

"No!" A young boy pushed the crowd aside and looked at Trunks, his eyes filled with tears of anger and pain.

Kara's voice cut through the crowd. "Daku!" She stepped forward, grabbing him by the shoulder.

Trunks eyes focused, remembering what Kaeke had said about the twin boys.

"Don't touch me!" The young boy ran down the hall towards the terrace. Trunks began to walk after him, when another boy reached out at Trunks, stopping him.

"He's my brother, I'll talk to him."

Kara touched the Natamoru boy's shoulder.

"Please help him Kolato." The young man nodded, running after him.

There was silence throughout the hall. Trunks didn't know what to do. He didn't know what to say...but he remembered a promise he made to a dying man.

* * *

Nadia and her mother were sitting in a small restaurant, chatting around a platter of pizza. They were catching up, and apparently having the time of their lives, like two peas in a pod.

"So what did you tell him dear?" Ms. Nawa eagerly awaited the fresh gossip, almost too good to be dispensed over the phone. Nadia leaned forward, setting her slice of pizza down and wiping her mouth.

"I told him that if it comes to a choice between him and dancing, then I definitely choose dancing."

They both laughed, Ms. Nawa even made a 'victory sign' with her fingers.

"Serves him right giving you an ultimatum. If some one asks you to give up something you love, then they don't really love you."

Nadia's face scrunched up with a slightly disgusted look. "Who ever said anything about love? He was a jerk any ways. I only dated him because he was an athlete."

"Don't you think that's a bit shallow dear?"

"No, of course not. I just figured that he might understand what dancing requires of me."

Ms. Nawa sat back, waving her hand dismissing the topic. "Well don't lose any sleep over it."

"Right." Nadia picked up her soda and took a sip.

Ms. Nawa leaned forward, whispering very discreetly. "You didn't sleep with him did you?"

Nadia choked on her drink and began coughing violently. When she finally calmed down, she gathered up enough air to speak, still on the verge of coughing. "What kind of a girl do you think you raised?!"

Ms. Nawa held both hands up in an attempt to calm Nadia down and also protect her self in the event that pizza was thrown at her.

"No-no! I was just making sure!"

"Well you don't have to make sure. I would never give another person that much power over me!" Nadia crossed her arms and turned her head to the side.

"Oh honey, don't punish me, I was just making sure." Ms. Nawa's groveling forced Nadia to give a sigh, which her mother quickly took as forgiveness. "So any ways, are you excited to be living on Capsule's Campus?"

Nadia turned her head back.

"Since when did Capsule Corporation start offering classes and dormitory anyways?"

A small droplet of sweat slid down Ms. Nawa's face. She knew that Nadia would be harder to deceive in person, but she didn't think about it much until just then. "Oh, they just started up this semester. Supposedly the classes are very helpful in attaining a multitude of degrees."

"Is that so?"

Nadia's suspicious glances were not received. Instead Ms. Nawa decided to change the subject again. "I hope you aren't too busy to help me with the grocery. You don't mind, do you?"

"Of course I don't mind. Why, you have trouble getting help?"

"No, that's not it."

Nadia touched her mother's hand. "Well it doesn't matter what it is, you know I'll help you."

Ms. Nawa smiled. She was so excited for Trunks and even more excited for Nadia. She hoped that everything would turn out okay. After all, if it was meant to be; then it was meant to be.

"Great, you start with me tomorrow morning at six!"

Nadia dropped her slice of pizza. "Six?"

"Oh, quit whining you big baby." She quietly laughed to herself while Nadia stared absently.

* * *

The terrace at Capsule was covered with golden light from the setting sun. Trunks sat on the ground, his back leaned against the tree where he had first met Kaeke. His eyes were fixed upon the horizon as the sun slowly buried itself. It was a sad day no matter which way you looked at it. Kaeke was right about one thing though: The nightmares did make Trunks weak. Maybe that's why he hadn't felt compelled to train after the nightmares had gone away. But what about fusion? What did Kaeke mean?

"He told you about fusion?" The familiar female voice startled Trunks.

He turned to see a young human girl standing several feet from the tree. She looked vaguely familiar. "Do I know you? And how did you-"

"It's me, Mel."

Trunks was completely fooled by her human look, but he could see Mel in her face.

She ran her fingertips through her wild orange hair with a smile, enjoying having the appearance of a human girl.

"Why the sudden change?"

"Bulma made disguises for us. She didn't want us to look different to the outside world." She held up her wrist and pointed to the small cloaking band.

"That makes sense. You still surprised me when you-"

"Read your mind? You surprised me when you mentioned the fusion so I guess that makes us even."

Trunks stood up and walked towards her. "Kaeke told me to ask Daku and Kolato. It was one of the things he told me before he died."

Mel turned around, looking down. "Did he say anything else to you? Did he try and read your future?"

"It seemed like it."

"Don't ever forget what he said. A dying Natamoru's prediction always holds truth. I thought he might tell you something important."

"I wish I remembered more... it all seemed to go in one ear and out the other."

"Just keep thinking about it, and your mind will do all the work figuring it out for you."

"Were you all expecting to hear his final predictions?"

"Some expected more..."

"Is that why Daku was so angry?"

Mel shook her head. "He has other reasons for being upset. You see Trunks, Daku and Kolato were training to be elite warriors of the Natamoru Royal Guard and Kaeke was their instructor. For the last three years Daku and Kolato begged Kaeke to let them use the fusion against our captors, but he constantly denied their requests. He said that it would be foolish to try, even though they were confident that they could win."

"You think the fusion would have been strong enough to defeat those three?"

Mel nodded. "Easily. But Kaeke was worried that afterwards we wouldn't know how to use their ship to get back home, and even worse in the event that fusion wasn't strong enough he was worried that they might go back and destroy our planet."

Trunks couldn't understand it. _Why didn't Kaeke even try?_ he thought

Having read his mind, Mel quickly answered him, as if he had spoken. "I couldn't understand it at first either. But after you saved us, I knew why he held back for so long. Even before that I knew that someone was going to save us. I just didn't expect that someone to be you Trunks. That's why I'm sorry for the way I treated you."

"I know it wasn't your fault."

She looked away from Trunks at his comment.

"So then you must know what they did to me? You must hate to even look at me..."

Trunks' heart dropped. It was not his intention to reveal so much with one comment. "I do know what they did to you, but I don't hate to look at you. It just makes me feel proud of what I did to them. Your strength makes me realize that all of this is for a reason. I only wish that I could have been there to protect you sooner."

Her face erupted into a smile. "If you know about what I've been through and you don't hate me, then you're a bigger hero then I even dreamed." Trunks smiled back at her. She looked genuinely happy. Her eyes began to water and quickly tears streamed down both of her cheeks.

"Why are you crying?"

"You don't know how long I've wanted to feel like this Trunks. Before those monsters abducted us I was a wild young girl and I've desired nothing more than to just be myself again!" With that declaration she ran forward and jumped onto Trunks, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. He laughed as she gave out a howl as if she was a ferocious beast.

"I didn't expect that." He couldn't help but laugh at her crazy behavior. She gave his neck a big hug before hopping down. She pushed the illusionary orange hair out of her face. _How can she be so physical with me after what she has been through?,_ he thought.

"Maybe Kaeke didn't know exactly what he was talking about Trunks. Maybe he didn't know exactly what I had been through when he told you." She winked at him.

Trunks felt like kicking himself, remembering that he would have to watch his thoughts. "Now I'm really starting to get confused."

She turned around and began to walk away. "Well, let's just say that dreams can seem more real than real life at times. Some need to be told when they're dreaming, and others will never know the difference."

Trunks stepped forward. "You don't mean that…"

"I don't know Trunks, what do I mean? All I know is that something horrible has ended, and something wonderful has just begun." She giggled as she walked back towards Capsule Corp.

"Wait!" He reached out, hoping she would stop.

"You shouldn't worry about me, I'm fine Trunks. I'm better than fine now. You should go talk with Daku and Kolato about the fusion." With that she turned, waving one last time before walking inside.

Trunks was at a loss for words, which seemed to be a pretty common feeling lately. What had she meant about dreams? She seemed awfully happy for a girl who had been getting raped by three monsters for almost a year. Was it possible that he misinterpreted Kaeke? Maybe there was more going on than he could see, but for now she was right. He wanted to know more about fusion. Any technique that could make this quiet race of people stronger than those three would be worth learning.

* * *

Ms. Nawa returned home to her spacious apartment on the second floor of the grocery after several hours of eating, shopping and goofing around. Nadia followed her moments later carrying a suitcase and some bags. She set everything in the middle of the floor as she plopped herself down on the nearest couch, falling over almost immediately. Ms. Nawa turned around and looked at Nadia.

"Honey, don't just leave your things all over the place, why don't you put them in your room?"

Nadia sighed at the scolding. "Don't worry, I will."

Ms. Nawa put both hands on her hips and quirked an eyebrow. "Well you might as well do it now so you can relax all that you want later. I mean just because I haven't seen you in such a long time doesn't mean that I don't have the right to be your mother. I mean really dear, I don't ask that much of you and I don't think it would have been that hard for you to walk into your old room and just set your things down in a corner. Do you understand what I'm saying?" She paused, waiting for a response, but Nadia didn't make a sound. As she walked closer she could tell that her daughter was fast asleep.

She quietly gathered up Nadia's things and set them down in her old room. She returned from the room with a small pillow and a blanket. She covered Nadia with the blanket, and gently lifted her head to slide the pillow under it. Nadia stirred for a moment, speaking quietly.

"Just let me rest for five more minutes…"

Ms. Nawa ran her hand across Nadia's cheek and then pushed the hair covering her forehead behind her ear. "You must be under a lot of pressure at school. Take all of the time you need dear."

Nadia smiled without ever opening her eyes. "Thank you mommy."

Ms. Nawa turned off the lights and retired to her bedroom. She thought it would be a good idea to let Nadia sleep in late tomorrow. After all, it might not be a good idea for Trunks to meet her too soon. She changed into her nightgown and got ready to crawl into bed as she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She stood up to admire her reflection. It was strange to see how young her body looked even though she had a grown woman for a daughter. All she could remember was that by the time she was Nadia's age, her mother was almost on death's door.

"I wonder if I still look good in a bathing suit…" Almost without thinking she wondered if Trunks would like the way she looked in a bathing suit. She shook her head, feeling foolish. She was not about to get her own feelings confused with the hope she had for Nadia. After all, Trunks was young enough to be her own son. She wondered if maybe she was just feeling lonely and Trunks happened to be the only real man in her life. Maybe if everything worked out for Nadia she might try dating. The last man in her life was the same man that left her with Nadia, and even he couldn't be considered a man in her life. He was only there long enough to force himself onto her, and then in a flash he was gone forever. It brought chills up her spine just remembering him. His eyes were fierce and he had strong hands, strong enough to break her if she didn't cooperate. It wasn't often that she thought badly of her own rape as a young girl, because the product of that rape made her into the happy mother that she was today. Yesterday was gone, and no one needed to know the truth about him anymore if she could manage, not even Nadia.

She decided that she had looked at herself enough, and that going to sleep was a very good idea. She had to open shop early the next morning and she knew now that with Nadia in town, the plan might be a little harder to pull off than she had originally thought. Hopefully Bulma was doing her part.

* * *

Trunks walked through the door into Bulma's study after giving a quick knock. She looked up from several printouts of astronomical charts. Sitting with her were four human girls Trunks had never met before. He could easily tell that they were Natamoru in disguise.

"What's up son?"

"Have you seen Daku and Kolato?" He looked to the other girls as well as Bulma for an answer.

Bulma scratched her chin with a pen in thought, leaving a small blue ink dot. "I'm not really sure I can help you there Trunks. I've issued name tags, but the boys are still kind of shy with me. Two or three more showers, and I'll know everyone."

Trunks nodded. Two of the girls stood up. The first to speak had straight pink hair that went down her back, and the other had straight purple hair. He could tell that in their original forms they must be twins.

"We can help you find them." They smiled. The girl with the purple hair stepped forward to speak.

"I'm Mella, and this is my sister Marchia." They both acted cute. It seemed like they shared one personality.

"Well don't keep my eager young students for too long." Bulma returned to her work, as the other two girls watched with interest at what she was doing.

Trunks looked to the girls already waiting at the door.

Mella smiled, politely gesturing down the hall. "Shall we?" The three of them set off. The girls walked through the halls of Capsule Corporation as if they had lived within its walls their entire life.

"Do you know where they are?"

Trunks was answered by Marchia, who turned her head back to speak. "We're getting closer. I can sense them nearby."

Trunks was impressed. They seemed to have powers similar to an ability to sense energy levels. After several minutes of walking, the girls stopped in front of the door to the gymnasium. It was the place where Trunks did most of his training over the last three years besides the gravity chamber.

"Are they in there?"

The girls both nodded.

Trunks smiled, pushing the double doors open. "Thanks. You can get back to your lesson with Bulma now." He walked into the large gym. Standing there waiting for him were Daku and Kolato. Both doors slammed shut and Trunks' stride came to a halt. The faces of the twins were both void of expression as they looked at Trunks. He could tell that they wanted to speak, and so he waited.

Daku stepped forward. "Looking for us? What do you want?"

Trunks knew that his thoughts were being monitored so he didn't waste anytime with his response. "Kaeke told me about fusion. I'm here to see for myself."

They both laughed. Kolato stepped forward pointing his finger at Trunks. "You don't even get it. You may have defeated the beasts that had us enslaved, but fusion is enough to take out even you."

Trunks narrowed his eyes. "Would you care to prove it?" The floor began to rumble quietly underneath Trunks' feet. Small bands of electricity flickered and flashed across the ground. It caught the two off guard for a moment.

They looked at each other and silently agreed. "Very well. But you've been warned." They both assumed positions several feet away from each other. They began an intricate and elaborate dance, performed in complete mirror symmetry.

"What's this?" Trunks watched carefully. It looked silly to him for two people to agree to such ridiculous poses.

"FUUUU….SION!" The two paused, before completing the dance by connecting their fingertips in perfect symmetry. "HAAA!"

At the completion of the odd looking technique, Trunks was blinded and the room filled with a large white burst of light and a loud rumble of energy. The change caused Trunks' heart to race. He could feel an immense rush of Ki fill the room, and it caused him to squint. After what seemed like an extremely long second, the light dimmed. The two twins had been replaced by one being. This being resembled the original two Natamoru, but Trunks could tell that it was quite different. For starters, this new being did have incredible energy.

Trunks kept his cool resolve. It was impressive, but nothing he couldn't handle. He was amazed at how dramatically their powers had risen. Even adding both of their energies together and multiplying them several times wouldn't have made them that strong. The new being spoke, interrupting his thought. Their voice was distracting. It seemed to carry an almost unnoticeable echo, as if it foreshadowed some hidden mark of power.

"You still think you're stronger? Then why don't you teach us what true power really is?"

Trunks began to power up and smiled. A hard crackling of energy could be felt throughout the room. To the Natamoru it was incredible, but Trunks wasn't even playing ball yet. He was only warming up. "With pleasure." He vanished, reappearing behind them. He threw a quick punch, but the fused pair turned around and blocked it with an open palm.

"My name is Dakoto. Pleased to meet you." The new being threw a punch that seemed lightning fast, but Trunks vanished, reappearing several feet away.

Trunks smiled, cracking his knuckles. "You're fast, but that doesn't surprised me. I'm sure combined together you can read my mind almost twice as fast as I can think."

Dakoto smiled. "Brilliantly observed, Trunks. If you want to beat us, you won't be able to think at all." He darted forward, throwing a punch at Trunks' face.

Trunks went to block it easily, when Dakoto switched with a punch to his abdomen. Trunks grit his teeth and took the blow, doubling over. He tightly clenched his fists, taking a moment to recover.

"I admit that you two are fast, but I can still be faster. What happens when you can't think as fast as I can attack?" Trunks began engaging Dakoto with a string of punches and kicks, each of which were blocked with surprising ease by the warrior.

"You put up a good fight, but can you stand a minute against me when I'm on the attack?" He broke the melee by disappearing and reappearing behind Trunks. Dakoto began pummeling Trunks with punches and kicks aimed all over his body. Every time he was able to put up a block, it seemed as though it was merely a feinted punch, setting Trunks up for a more devastating one. Trunks made a desperate kick for his opponent's face, but the fused being disappeared in a flash. He paused, trying to sense Dakoto's power. A small white spark flashed in his mind as he turned around barely in time to see Dakoto's fist, aimed for his face. It was in that moment; time stopped for Trunks. Trunks knew the attack was perfect and his mind could see no way to dodge. To his challenger he was an open book, about to be slammed shut. It was in that moment that Trunks reached forward and grabbed the fist, pulling it to the side, away from his face.

"Surprise."


	7. Chapter 7: Keeping Promises

**Chapter 7: Keeping Promises**

Dakoto's eyes widened in disbelief. Trunks had moved with such quickness that it seemed almost as if he had blinked and missed it. He couldn't even sense a thought in Trunks' head. Needless to say it was quite an unsettling turn of events for the fused duo.

"What? But how?"

"Your technique is impressive, and indeed your ability to read my mind should make you much faster than I am, but Kaeke was still right. You didn't have a chance against those three."

Dakoto pulled his hand free from Trunks' grip. "You still don't know what you're up against. You're being foolish assuming I would go into this battle at my highest power."

Trunks was excited by the challenge. It caused him to sound a little more than cocky. "Am I? Well then, show me my mistake."

Dakoto frowned in anger. "Be quiet!" He began a chain of punches similar to Trunks, but Trunks returned each punch with a casual block. Trunks spoke with ease while he continued to defend himself.

"The reason I have no problem blocking your attacks is because of my training. My mind can only throw a punch up to a certain speed, and so to become even faster I needed to learn how to fight using my instincts. I let you punch me earlier because I wanted to test your strength. The truth is, I've been fighting faster than my thoughts allow for a long time. Close to ten years."

Dakoto pushed even harder, fighting even faster. "I said to be quiet!"

Trunks continued explaining it to him as his blocking picked up pace. "You could not have won against those three. They would have fought you one on one, and by the time you made it to their leader, Meemique, he would have already appraised your special ability, and used it against you."

Dakoto threw one last punch, which Trunks stopped with his open palm. "But how can you know that?"

Trunks lowered his hand. "The leader, Meemique, revealed to me that he had the ability to double any power he witnessed being used once. After that the fight would have come down purely to energy levels, and I know that his was still higher than yours."

Dakoto smiled and laughed. "This fight isn't over yet Trunks. Do you think we're stupid?"

"Are you talking about all of the power you've been hiding? I can sense it; a clever trick." Trunks readied himself.

Dakoto was covered in a burst of bright blue energy as his aura swelled with power. "This fight is far from over." As soon as Dakoto finished speaking, Kara burst into the room. Trunks turned his head as she spoke.

"Stop this now Dakoto!"

The fused warrior pointed his hand at Kara and formed a large ball of energy.

Trunks turned back, his eyes wide with surprise. "What the hell are you doing!?"

Without a second thought, he fired the energy ball towards the girl. Trunks vanished, reappearing in front of Kara. He held out his open palm to stop the attack when the ball of energy suddenly vanished. Before Trunks could even lower his wrist, a strong and swift kick slammed into his head, propelling him towards the wall. He smashed into it, causing the entire room to rumble. He landed on the ground in a fighting stance, a large crack remaining as evidence that he hit the wall. There was a faint cloud of dust in the air.

Dakoto landed several feet away from Trunks, smiling. "I hope that I taught you something Trunks."

"And what was that?" Trunks wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, leaving a grin remaining.

"You doubted my powers too early in the fight for your suspicions to have been correct." Dakoto stood with both hands on his hips.

Trunks shrugged. "You would put an innocent person at risk to gain position?"

"Was she at risk or did I predict your emotions?"

"And what if you were wrong?" Trunks brushed the dust off his shoulders.

Dakoto rubbed his finger under his nose with a sneer. "It was all part of the master plan Trunks."

"You seem a little too pleased with yourself. What do you think you did? Catch me off guard with your attack? Because if so, then maybe I should enlighten you on what really happened."

Dakoto's eyes narrowed as he listened to Trunks continue.

"With such a great opportunity, I don't understand why you chose such a weak attack. If you can't hit harder than that, I'll just let the full force of your attacks connect from now on. I mean, why waste the energy blocking them?"

Dakoto choked for a moment. "Do you expect me to believe that you would save more energy by taking the full force of my attack than by defending against it?!"

Trunks raised both of his open palms and shrugged. "Believe what you like."

Dakoto looked enraged. "Then I guess I'll have to turn it up another notch!" He lowered his arms, and began to increase his power level again.

Trunks was surprised. By the time he was done, Trunks could sense a significant change. He must have powered up completely. "Impressive." Trunks entered a fighting stance. "Time to push it to the limit." Trunks burst forward, covered in a thick veil of energy. He decided to throw a real punch to test Dakoto. His fist sliced through the air creating a wicked boom of energy as it was met with a clash against Dakoto's forearm. The alien warrior looked like he was in quite a bit of pain. Trunks had ended the warm up. The alien warrior struggled to speak while still blocking the fierce punch.

"You think I'm weak, but your thoughts make you weaker." Dakoto grabbed Trunks fist and pulled him forward, catching him straight in the jaw with a powerful lunging jab.

Trunks quickly recovered and returned the favor by driving his fist deep into the Natamoru's belly.

He immediately doubled over from the shock of the unexpected blow. Spittle came out of his mouth as he gasped for air. Part of Trunks wanted to go easy on him. Dakoto looked up with an expression of anger. He must have sensed Trunks' thoughts of easing up.

"Relax Dakoto, I'll have to stop if you make this too serious. There is no reason to look at me with such intensity."

Dakoto clenched his fist and screamed at Trunks. "How dare you think you're the one who should lay off of me? I'm the one who's really been holding back."

"Anymore parlor tricks?"

Dakoto returned a casual grin. "Pay attention this time." A small breeze of wind picked up in the room, rustling Trunks' hair and the fabric of his clothes. The wind picked up and slowly shifted into a glowing aura of power that surrounded Dakoto. His energy level skyrocketed again, this time almost doubling completely. By now Dakoto's power level had surpassed all three of the monsters that Trunks had defeated combined. He was certain that these boys would have had a very good chance of winning.

"Now you have my attention." Trunks clenched his fists, preparing for another offensive strike.

The Natamoru warrior paused and looked at Trunks seriously. "So you really believe that I had a chance?"

Trunks realized immediately that his thoughts had betrayed him again. He closed his eyes and nodded. "Yes, your power level is no doubt extreme. Those guys weren't nearly as strong as you."

"Then he was wrong." Dakoto fell to his knees and slammed his fists into the ground, leaving two small craters in the gymnasium floor. His eyes welled up with tears.

"Who? Are you talking about Kaeke?"

"He had a vision we were defeated. We argued but he insisted that if we fought, we would die... and our people would follow."

"Don't regret the past. For all you know he was right. Even if you would have won, hundreds of things could have gone wrong. You don't have to be a mind reader to know that. What if in the battle the ship was damaged, or someone was hurt? How would you even know how to get back home?"

"I see your point. I suppose it was rather thoughtless of us, wanting to be in such a position."

"Maybe this is the way it was meant to be."

"Meant to be?" Dakoto squinted, trying to understand.

"I've seen many things happen in my life, and some things _do_ happen for a reason."

There was another brilliant flash of light, which caught Trunks off guard. When it faded, he saw the two smiling boys standing in front of him again.

"We can choose to go back to normal at any time. The fusion is a technique that binds the mind, spirit and body. The mind becomes more fluid, the spirit becomes more willing and the body becomes more able. This alone suggests an awesome increase in power. I do not yet know why Kaeke told you about fusion, because to perform it correctly, you must have a partner who is almost identical to you. But even if you did use the technique with someone who was equal to you, you still would not become as powerful as us. Unless you are identical in mind, spirit and body, the technique lasts no longer than thirty minutes."

"Well, it is quite impressive. With a little bit of training, you could possibly be the strongest fighters in the universe."

The twins smiled at each other, contemplating the idea. Daku stepped forward to speak. "Do you think that you're still stronger than we are combined?"

Trunks paused for a moment. "I hadn't even reached the peek of my natural limits in our fight. I know that anything could have happened, but I also know that I still held the upper hand."

Daku smiled, nodding. "We understand now that you are a noble warrior, Master Trunks. We would ask that you train us."

Trunks didn't know what to say. All of his life he was either being trained by himself or others. He never had students of his own.

As he paused in thought, Kolato spoke up. "You are strong and wise. You could replace Kaeke as our teacher from this point forward if you would allow it."

"I'm not sure that's the best idea."

Daku spoke quietly in response. "I understand that you need to think about it. Just remember; you said for yourself this was meant to be."

Both of the Natamoru boys bowed to Trunks and slowly exited the gymnasium. Trunks found himself alone with his thoughts once again. He looked at the crack in the wall. Maybe he had embellished how weak the attack was. He considered it good practice in intimidation. He was only glad to have protected Kara. But where had she gone? He looked around, but she was nowhere. The more he tried to remember protecting her, the fuzzier his memory became. After playing through the memory several times, he couldn't really remember her walking into the gymnasium in the first place. Was it some kind of trick?

"Now maybe you understand what I meant Trunks." He turned to the door. It was Mel, still disguised as a human. Bulma's disguises were a good idea for more then one reason. Besides hiding the fact that they were aliens, it made twins easier to distinguish from one another.

"I think I'm starting to understand. During my fight with Daku and Kolato, Kara came in here. He went to attack so I protected her... but now she's gone. The more I thought about it, the more I'm starting to believe that she was never there in the first place."

Mel walked forward to Trunks and kissed him on the lips. His heart began to race for a moment. He closed his eyes. He had no idea what her motives for this could possibly be.

"What are you doing Trunks?" She said, softly.

He opened his eyes. She was still standing by the door, completely unmoved from before. She had a devilish smile on her face

Trunks relaxed. "I see now. You Natamoru must know everything there is to know about dreams."

Mel walked forward. "Enough to make people dream while they're wide awake."

"Is that what you did to those monsters on the ship? Made them dream that they were doing something they really weren't?"

She nodded again, still smiling. "The reason so many other girls died is because they chose not to break our sacred rules. It is Natamoru tradition and law that our dream powers remain a secret to outsiders. Kaeke himself forbid me to use them to protect my sister and I, but he couldn't force me. I chose to go every night, yet every night I sat and watched as those foul beasts tortured and molested a dream, merely a figment of my imagination. Of course I couldn't let Kaeke know, so I pretended that I was being tormented."

"That's amazing."

"I knew that if you fought Dakoto he would have to use it on you. I just knew that you were strong enough. It makes explaining myself _much_ easier." Mel walked towards the door.

"I'm glad that nothing really happened to you Mel."

She turned her head back, flipping her hair over one shoulder. "Of course... but I already knew that Trunks. Sweet dreams." She winked before walking out the door.

He couldn't help but wondered what she meant. Maybe all Natamoru girls are good at being mysterious, he thought. In a way, he knew what she meant, but he couldn't help but wonder to what extent she meant it. Suddenly he thought about Bell and Gem. He wondered if he would see either of them in his dreams tonight. He wondered what he might dream about now that his nightmares were over.

He recalled the details of his fight with the twins as he walked back to find Bulma. He was happy to have sparred with the Natamoru boys. The fusion technique certainly was amazing. He thought the twins might be very helpful in defending the earth if they focused on training their abilities, but they could also become an incredible enemy if they chose to be. Trunks could sense a strange coldness from within the being Dakoto that worried him. He would have to observe the boys more closely before he committed himself to training them.

Trunks returned to his mother's workshop where she sat alone, tinkering with some alien device that was no doubt recovered from the ship. She heard him enter and looked up with a smile.

"Hey son!"

"Where did all of the girls go?"

She gave a menacing smile at his comment, turning a harmless question into something else. "That's more like it. Well if you really must know, they decided to go to bed. It is late after all. I can give you their room numbers if you want to crawl under the covers with them."

Trunks sat down next to her and leaned towards the strange object she was holding. He had grown used to her comments, and could ignore the last one easily.

"What is that?"

"Oh this? It's the captain's journal."

"Have you read it yet?"

Bulma shook her head. "No, I scanned it for any numerical data that might help me locate where exactly the ship has been, but I don't have any business reading it other than that. Oh, I just remembered. I need to ask you a favor." She gave an innocent smile to go along with her request.

"Sure, what do you need?"

"I opened Capsule Corporation Community College for enrollment and summer classes begin here next week. I have a limited staff right now…which is namely me and some hired help to teach general 101 classes."

"What?!"

Bulma smiled, waving her arms in a reassuring way, convincing him to relax. "I'm teaching three classes, and I was just hoping that you could teach a few little classes for me?" Trunks should have known he was in trouble when he promised without knowing what he had gotten into.

"What classes and how many students?"

"That's the fun part! You're teaching Capsule Technology, Data Ciphering, and College Physical Education! You'll have about sixty students. Maybe if this works out then you can teach full time during the autumn months."

"Are you planning something mother?"

"Don't be so paranoid! It makes you unattractive. You need to exercise that big ol' muscle in your skull, and teaching would be great for you. I won't accept no for an answer, so it's settled?"

He sighed quietly. It seemed his question and answer period was over.

"So I have a week to prepare?"

Bulma smiled. "You're the greatest!"

Trunks stood up, grabbing the electronic captain's log. "I'm going to bed. Maybe I can find something of use in this."

"Good luck son." Bulma turned her attention to another discarded alien relic as Trunks walked away.

The halls of Capsule Corporation were surprisingly quiet taking all of the guests they had into consideration. As he closed his eyes, Trunks could almost feel a quiet hum of dreams filling the building. He was glad the people of Natamoru were at peace even though Kaeke was gone. He could tell they were anxious to get home again, but they were also worried about leaving. Most of them wanted to linger on earth for a while, as if it was some wonderful dream. They must have felt something like the people of Namek who stayed at Capsule Corp after Frieza had destroyed their original home planet; somewhere between being sheltered and homeless. Somewhere between being comforted and being alone.

He entered the darkness of his room and approached the bed. He stripped down to his shorts and tossed his clothes into a laundry basket. He turned the desk lamp on and sat down, looking at the small captain's journal. Bulma had already deciphered the alien text so it was easily read. The latest entry seemed to be from several years ago.

"Well, that's not much help."

Instead he decided to read it from the beginning. It started much like any journal should. It explained Meemique's advancement in rank. It confirmed his previous beliefs that they were indeed henchmen of Frieza because he was a high-ranking soldier in Frieza's army. He must have had a position close to tenth in command. The beginning of the journal was quite boring and uneventful until it reached the defeat of Frieza. He could almost hear the voice of Meemique in his head as he read the words.

"_I can't believe it. Frieza has finally met his match. On some mission of his own design, he was encountered by a warrior and defeated. I never knew that such power existed within this universe. It gives me the hope that I can unlock power of that magnitude within myself. If someone defeated Frieza, then why couldn't I? I'm sure there's a way_."

He later wrote about the disappearance of Frieza, but the rebuilt tyrant must not have told any of his underlings that he was going to the earth. He was probably too embarrassed to admit that he was being a sore loser. It wasn't until later that he wrote something of use to Trunks. Almost ten years after the death of Frieza, there was a startling entry.

"_I found it. The power I was searching for. We have most recently plundered a planet of vast technology that was still no match for us. A group of scientists held the secret to something referred to as demon-dimension-technology. They had created an energy that punctures a hole into the demon world, allowing creatures from that world to enter into ours. In their testing, anyone who entered the demon realm was also empowered by the dark energy that existed within the dimension, filled with the demonic evil of the realm. I have had the scientists construct a weapon for my ship, an ionized dimensional cannon. This way I can unleash terrors unimaginable on my victims. The scientists are also making it possible for me to travel into this demon realm, gaining all of the dark powers for myself. In return I have agreed on my word to spare their planet and their technology. But then again, I do need a planet to test my weapon on_."

That was the final entry in the journal. Trunks could only guess that the demon dimension is where he gained his powers. This demon technology weapon must have been the energy discharge that Kaeke felt after the ship left their home planet. Maybe this was their key to locating the planet's coordinates. If the weapon was powerful enough to make a rift in the dimensions, then there might still be a way to track the energy after three years that could help them pinpoint the planet's location. He smiled at the possibility, setting the electronic journal on his night table. He turned the light off and stretched before leaning back into the comfort of his bed.

He shut his eyes, not knowing what to expect. For the past three years, his biggest dilemma was dealing with his nightmares and trying to protect the planet. Now his biggest problem was going to be teaching college level classes. He was amazed at how quickly things had changed. His mind was swimming with thoughts about his newest task. He began to imagine how classes would go on the first day. Was it possible for him to conduct himself like a real college professor, or would he just be a bumbling child in the classroom. It's true that Bulma did give him a worthy education during his upbringing, but never was he in a position to administer that knowledge to others. In the midst of his thoughts, there was a knock at his door. He opened his eyes and sat up slowly.

"Trunks?" The voice was soft and hard to recognize. It could have been any of the girls for all he knew. He stood up and went over to the door. He opened it to see Bell waiting patiently. He knew that he was not yet dreaming.

"Hello." He could tell that she was scanning his thoughts as he looked into her eyes.

She looked so serious for a change. It was then that he realized his mistake. It wasn't Bell at all. It must have been her sister Gem. Her almost perfectly timed smile confirmed his surface thoughts to be correct. "Are you going to invite me in?" She looked up and down his body in a suggestive way.

He knew that it must have been because he was standing there in his shorts. He had gotten used to being embarrassed over the past couple of days, and this incident didn't even cause him to blush. He ushered her in and closed the door. He turned the main room light on to dimly illuminate the room. He stepped in his closet where he slipped into a pair of pajama pants and a white t-shirt. He walked back into his bedroom, which was furnished more like a luxury hotel room than a typical bedroom, with both hands in his pockets. Gem was sitting down at the table positioned by the large bay window. Trunks leaned his shoulder against the wall and crossed his ankles.

"So what's up?"

She looked at Trunks with a smile. "This place is really great Trunks."

"Thank you. I'm glad you like it."

"Everyone likes it Trunks, not just me."

"Well I'm glad that everyone likes the accommodations here on earth."

"It's not just that. It's the hospitality of you and your mother. You haven't just given us freedom from our slavery. You've given us all complete…"

"Happiness?" Trunks put the word right into her mouth.

"Yes. More than just being happy. Being here with you and Bulma gives us happiness, bliss, joy and feelings that no form of discourse can explain. We all love being here Trunks." She paused for a second before continuing. "Ever since Kaeke has died, we've decided that we don't want to go back home. That was his dream, not ours."

"Who feels that way?"

"So many of us. Many that would bottle these thoughts up and keep them from you until we get shipped back home."

"Well, I can't even be certain that we'll be able to do that."

"I don't believe that. You're so perfect…that…I know you'll find a way, no matter what obstacles stand… I know you can do it."

Gem looked away from Trunks, out of the large window and into the earth's night sky. It gave Trunks an opportunity to admire Gem's differences from her sister Bell. Although they both looked identical, they had different personalities. Bell was anxious and excited while Gem was very relaxed, which made her seem mysterious. Her hair was styled differently than Bells. It was straight and pushed behind her thin pointed ears. It fell like a curtain over her shoulders, where it stopped just at the top of her back.

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that when you do find a way to send us home…I'd rather stay here."

"Alright. No one is going away that doesn't want to. You all have a right to decide."

Gem stood up. "The earth is a wonderful place. I think that we have you to thank for that." She began to walk towards the door. She turned around to face Trunks as the door opened. "Trunks…."

"Yes?"

Gem cleared her throat before continuing, a common trait among the Natamoru women..

"My sister has become very fond of you in this short time. Just remember that if you do choose to become just as fond of her that we come as a set. We are bound to each other. That goes for all of the Natamoru."

"But I…"

She cut him off before he could finish. "I know that you have the most pure of intentions Trunks, but I can also sense that your heart is searching. I'm just warning you for when it finds what it's looking for." She turned around and walked out of the room. He knew that she was right. He was searching for something.


	8. Chapter 8: Plan on Change

**Chapter 8: Plan on Change**

Trunks woke up the next morning feeling refreshed. The morning's light shined into his room and warmed his skin with its gentle touch. He stretched his arms, allowing the blood to circulate before sitting up. His feet touched the soft, carpeted floor, which inspired him to stretch one more time. He could immediately feel that his body was rested and his mind was at ease. He stood up and walked around the room. Looking out the window and onto the terrace below revealed a large group of humans just lounging around. Trunks knew that they were really aliens in disguise, as paranoid as that might have sounded to anyone who didn't know better. He was glad that they were still happy being there. It would have been unfortunate if they had taken Kaeke's departure to the next dimension more seriously.

He felt strangely inspired to visit Ms. Nawa. After all, it wasn't very often that he felt this happy on a morning where he hadn't spoken with her and he was anxious to share his good mood. He slid into a pair of gray slacks and threw on an old blue Capsule Corp jacket over his t-shirt before heading out of his room. He thought maybe he should say goodbye to Bulma before leaving, but he didn't see her anywhere on his way out. He checked his watch before leaving. It was seven fifteen. He knew that if he hurried he could be in town by eight. Before he could leave, he was stopped by a familiar voice.

"Trunks." He turned to see a human teen with dark hair, which he could still tell was Daku. Another young man of a similar build, which must have been Kolato, wasn't standing far behind.

Trunks smiled at the young Natamoru men in their human disguises. "Good morning."

Daku smiled. He looked anxious. "Have you thought about our request?"

Trunks gave a coy smile. He knew that they could read his mind, so why not have a little fun with them? "And what request might you be referring to?"

The boys quietly laughed. They were impressed with Trunks' sense of humor. They were surprised that it even managed to surpass the boundaries of race.

"Where are you going?" Kolato asked.

"Just into town to visit a friend."

"Well, when you return maybe we can test our skills against you again?"

Trunks nodded at the suggestion. "Maybe. I'll be back later. If you need anything, don't be afraid to ask Bulma."

"Thank you Trunks." Kolato said with a nod. The Natamoru boys both turned and walked back to the terrace. Trunks then began his long walk into town.

* * *

Watching Trunks leave from one of the upstairs windows and sitting next to the telephone was Bulma. She picked up the receiver and dialed an all too familiar number. After a couple of rings a voice too enthusiastic for this early in the morning answered the call.

"Nawa groceries, how may I help you?"

"Lita, it's me Bulma!"

"Good morning! What's up Bulma?"

"Trunks is heading for the grocery right now on foot." A gasp could be heard over the receiver.

"But Nadia is still asleep!"

"Well wake her up! This is the plan: When Trunks comes in, have Nadia dressed like you with her hair up so that Trunks mistakes her for you from behind!"

"That sounds like a great idea. Except for the fact that Nadia and I have different colored hair. That and I doubt she'll cooperate with any request that I tell her to do! She'll get too suspicious if I make her stand with her back to the door!"

"Well, can you arrange it so they bump into each other somehow?"

"Bulma, I thought you said that you had this all planned out?"

"I do! I just need a little help from you!"

"This is ridiculous, let's just call the whole thing off."

"Are you crazy?! Listen to yourself! This isn't about us feeling awkward or guilty! This is about our children's happiness! We want them to make each other as happy as they make us, right?! And unless we help them figure that out, they'll both live miserable lives of deprivation!"

Ms. Nawa was paused in silence. "You're right Bulma. I don't know what I was thinking."

"You're right that you don't know! Now hurry and wake up Nadia. Make something up! You'll come up with something good, now hurry, time is ticking."

"Alright, goodbye!" Ms. Nawa hung the phone up, exhaling deeply. She looked across the counter to see a little old lady waiting to be checked out. Ms. Nawa smiled, blinking several times as a large droplet of sweat formed on the back of her head.

"Do you have any cabbage?" The old lady asked with a weak and raspy voice.

Ms. Nawa scoffed at the question. "No, I don't carry that stuff. All set then?" The old woman nodded her head yes as Ms. Nawa began to ring up her purchases. "So, how long were you standing there just now?" The old woman scratched her cheek in thought.

"Right about when you said that you doubt she'll cooperate because it'll be too suspicious."

"Oh. You heard all that?"

Just then another voice chimed in. "What'll be too suspicious?" said Nadia.

Ms. Nawa choked on her saliva and began to cough uncontrollably. Nadia walked down the stairs from the second floor apartment into the grocery. She was already wearing an apron and seemed ready to work. Ms. Nawa began to panic, which caused her to continue coughing.

The elderly woman spoke up. "Well, we were just talking about…" Ms. Nawa reached forward, shoving the woman's groceries into her chest, causing her statement to end abruptly.

"We were just talking about the most recent soap opera on television. Have a nice day ma'am!"

The old woman shook her head before walking out with her groceries.

Nadia stretched, squinting at the brightness of the sun. "I told you I'd be up to help you with the store, I just slept in a couple hours."

"Oh, you shouldn't have honey." Ms. Nawa knew that she was in trouble; Trunks would definitely know that something was up if he saw Nadia in the grocery this morning and then saw that she was enrolled in each of his classes. How did Bulma ever convince her that this was a good plan? Even she knew that it needed to happen differently.

"Mom, are you okay?"

She needed to think fast. "No! I'm not okay."

"Why, what's the matter?

She looked around the grocery, trying to come up with something, when suddenly it hit her. "I need you to go and run some errands for me."

"Are you feeling well, mom? This is totally out of character for you."

"Yes, I'm fine. I just need you to go and pick some things up for me." Ms. Nawa quickly grabbed a small tablet of paper and began to scribble out a list. In a moment she had finished, ripped the paper out and handed it to Nadia.

She immediately read the list out loud. "A two piece bathing suit?"

"Yeah, so what? I was just wondering how I would look in a bathing suit."

"And how urgently do you need this?" Nadia gave her mother a curious glance.

"Listen, if you don't want to help me, I'll do it after I close the shop." She hoped desperately that _wouldn't _be the case.

"No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you, I was just wondering." Nadia continued to scan the list.

"Any other problem items?" Ms. Nawa put a hand on her hip as Nadia continued reading.

Nadia paused half way down the list. "Well…" She gave another suspicious glance.

Ms. Nawa knew that she couldn't back down now, so she returned a crook-eyed glance of her own. "Well what?"

"Nothing, I'll go get what's on your list." She untied her apron and tossed it onto the countertop. "I'll be back in about an hour."

"Bye-bye honey!"

"Bye mommy." Nadia blew a little kiss before stepping out the door. Ms. Nawa exhaled a giant breath of air as she reached for the telephone. She hammered Bulma's number into the keypad and waited with one hand over her chest. After a few seconds, Bulma answered.

"Hello?"

"Bulma!" Just as she spoke, Ms. Nawa saw the door to the grocery push open. It was Nadia. Her heart dropped. Her next thoughts came completely on the fly. "No, sorry we don't carry cabbage of any sort here but have a nice day!"

"Lita is that y-" She interrupted Bulma's last words as she slammed the phone down on the cradle and smiled at her daughter. Nadia gave her a look before speaking.

"I don't know if I have enough money for all of these items."

"Oh, I'm sorry dear." She rummaged under the counter until she found her purse. She shuffled through all of her belongings until she found some money. She pulled out a large bill and handed it to Nadia. "Here, ten thousand zenie should be enough."

"Maybe too much. Do you have anything smaller?"

Ms. Nawa made a nervous laugh at the comment.

"Darling, I make plenty of money here, keep the change and buy your self something nice."

Nadia took the money and smiled. "Ok, I'll be back soon." She walked back out the door.

Ms. Nawa slumped onto her stool, clutching her chest and exhaling deeply. She grabbed the phone again and dialed Bulma once more. The phone rang, and moments later Bulma answered.

"Lita? Is that you?"

"Bulma…"

"What's wrong?"

"I'm about to have a heart attack, that's all!"

"Relax, what's going on with Nadia?"

Ms. Nawa took several breaths before speaking. "Well, that's why I decided to call you. I have an idea."

* * *

Trunks found himself at the outskirts of Pepper town. He was about a mile away from the grocery. He looked around, admiring the early morning workers busy constructing and reconstructing additions to the city. Even though the city wasn't finished yet, it looked more beautiful than it did before it was destroyed. The city was filled with more life than Trunks had ever seen. Most people would assume this kind of genuine happiness would only last for a month or so after the Androids disappeared, but it seemed that three years later everyone was still grateful for the chance they all had to make better lives for themselves and their children.

As he continued his walk, he began to dwell on his sleep. He couldn't quite remember what he had dreamt about, but the more he thought, the more visions began to pop into his mind. He could remember dreaming that he was floating through the sky. When he looked to the ground he could see that Goku was there and so was his father. They were fighting at some tournament. The two warriors were clashing against each other with everything they had. There was a large crowd gathered around cheering the two fighters on. Although they were both fighting, he could see a glimmer in his father's eyes. Trunks knew that Vegeta was at peace. Both he and Goku were locked in a perpetual battle. He knew that the winner of the fight was not important. The only thing that mattered was the heat of combat. He wondered if that was what life in the next dimension was like for his deceased father.

He had other dreams as well. He had visions of what appeared to be Natamoru. As he watched from a far off distance, he could see a legend unfolding. It was a story about the two races of people that existed on the planet. They were the Natamoru people, and an opposing race, the Moradatu. In this dream he saw them at war with each other. They were destined to destroy themselves and the very planet as well. In the story, Trunks saw hope that still existed. He saw some good in the people of Moradatu. After he awoke he had the feeling that this was only the first part of a long story. He could feel that this story told through his dreams was being fed to his subconscious mind by all of the people of Natamoru that were staying at Capsule Corp.

He had just reached the heart of the city, only a few blocks from the grocery when his wristband started paging him. He held it up and pressed the receive message button. After a second of delay, Bulma's almost too eager face appeared.

"Hey Trunks! I didn't know you were going into Pepper town this morning."

"Yeah, I couldn't find you. What's up?"

Bulma continued as if uninterrupted. "I was just wondering if you could run some errands for me before you did whatever it is you're doing."

"Well I was going to see Ms. Nawa."

"Really? That's great! You could pick some things up for her too!"

"Like what?"

Bulma smiled, her eyes were heavily squinted.

"She's always stuck reading those stupid newspapers. I thought it would be nice if you got her some interesting magazines to read."

Trunks nodded in agreement. "That's a great idea mom, I'll go to the store right away." Trunks went to disable the transfer, when Bulma shouted to stop him.

"Wait!"

She startled him for a moment. "What is it?"

"I didn't even tell you what I wanted yet."

Trunks laughed. "Sorry mom, what is it?"

"I want you to go to The Pretty Fish and pick me out a real sexy two piece bathing suit."

A droplet of sweat appeared on the back of Trunks' head. He took a long pause before he commented. "Why would you make me buy something like that?"

"Oh, try to act like a grown up! Go ahead and buy yourself a swimsuit too, okay?"

"Alright, is that it?"

Bulma gave another squinty-eyed smile and waved goodbye, canceling the transmission from her end. Trunks shook his head before lowering his wrist. He knew that it probably could have been worse. He set off for the most fashionable swimsuit store in all of Pepper town, The Pretty Fish. The store was only a short ways off from the grocery, and he figured that he wouldn't have to go very far out of his way to get there.

The closer he came to arriving, the more he realized that he was going to have to ask someone to show him their sexy two-piece bathing suits. His heart began to race realizing how embarrassing the situation was becoming. How is it that the strongest fighter in the universe was lowered to buying a sexy woman's bathing suit for his mother? He decided to pick out the magazines first. He entered a local bookstore and began browsing quietly. He wondered what type of magazines would interest her. Trunks knew he had to take a guess on this. He grabbed some women's magazines and a couple of geographic periodicals and headed on his way.

He would handle the bathing suit situation later. For now he would visit Ms. Nawa at the grocery. He walked a couple of blocks and found himself once again at the pleasant little grocery that he had grown to love. He pushed the door open to see a surprised looking Ms. Nawa. She looked almost as if she was waiting for him to arrive.

"Trunks! It's so good to see you."

Trunks thought that it was good to see her too. "I brought you some magazines."

Ms. Nawa gasped, holding her hand up to her chest. Her expression of surprise melted into that warmest smile that Trunks had seen all day. "That was so thoughtful of you Trunks Brief!" She reached forward taking the magazines. She shuffled through them with a look of interest on her face. In her heart she was sincere about her thanks, but in her mind she was getting worried about the plan. She knew that Trunks didn't have Bulma's swimsuit with him, so he must not have gone shopping for it. Suddenly the possibility that Trunks would stay and chitchat until Nadia came home arrived at the gates of her mind. That would make things even worse. Her heart began to race. Her thoughts and worries were interrupted by Trunks voice.

"Don't give me all of the credit, it was mom's idea. I just picked them out for you."

She smiled sweetly. "Well, you did a great job picking them out." Ms. Nawa knew in the back of her head that if Trunks saw Nadia in the store then everything would be ruined. She knew that he would wonder why she neglected to mention that Nadia was coming into town when they talked a few days ago. On the other hand, Nadia would be expecting her to bring boys over, so if she returned and Trunks was just standing there talking, she might get angry and everything could go straight to hell. Ms. Nawa knew that no matter what, Trunks had to leave quickly. Trunks made a gesture to the discarded apron across the countertop.

"What's with the apron?"

Ms. Nawa's eyes filled with fear for a moment. She knew that Nadia's apron was much different than her own and Trunks had noticed as well.

"That's something strange I've noticed about you. In all the years I've come to this store you've never changed your apron." He said.

Ms. Nawa gave an uncomfortable laugh. "Really? That's strange, I never noticed!" Several droplets of sweat appeared on Ms. Nawa as she thought up an adequate excuse. "Well, I just had this other one laying around, so I thought I would keep it out here…you know, just incase!"

Maybe it wasn't exactly adequate, but Trunks didn't seem to notice.

"So, what have you been doing?"

Ms. Nawa's thoughts were once again interrupted. She appeared to be startled by the question. "Oh, me? I've just been working as usual."

Trunks gave her a look. "Maybe you've been working too much?" He chuckled. It was obvious to him that she was acting goofier than usual.

"It's funny that you mention it. I've decided to close on the weekends. I figure that after all this time, I deserve a little break."

"That's a great idea. That'll give you some time to rest."

"Rest? That'll give me the time to have some fun!"

Trunks laughed. She had such a free and young spirit that sometimes he forgot how old she was. "Maybe you'll have enough time to go and visit your daughter."

Another large droplet of sweat appeared on the back of her head. "My d-daughter? Yes, that's true…but this weekend I've decided to come over and spend some time with your mother at Capsule Corporation."

Trunks froze. Had his mother already agreed to that knowing Capsule was crawling with alien refugees? Is that why she decided to make the disguise bracelets for them? He had to pretend that it was natural.

"Really? That should be fun."

Ms. Nawa's eyes loomed over the clock. Nadia would be back any minute now. She had to do something quickly. If she didn't think of something, all of her and Bulma's hard work would have been for naught. "So, did you ever visit your friends?"

Trunks cleared his throat before speaking. "Some of them."

Ms. Nawa threw her hands up in the air in an exaggerated way. "Well, you should use this early morning time to visit the rest of them!"

"But-"

Trunks was cut off by the insistent Ms. Nawa. "No but's! You've seen the same old me for the past two years. I'm sure there are lots of people out there who deserve to be visited by you more than I do." In Ms. Nawa's mind, she was making a quick excuse to get Trunks out of the store, but in Trunks mind he was only thinking about Chi-Chi. He was sure she could use some company from the person who was the closest to Gohan. To Trunks, Ms. Nawa was right.

"Are you sure you don't mind?"

She smiled warmly. Her shining green eyes worked in combination with her smile to make Trunks feel at ease with the decision. "I'll be fine. Besides, I want to get to reading these magazines."

"Okay, I guess you're right."

"Of course I'm right! Now get out of here!" She swatted at him playfully with one of the magazines as he headed towards the door.

"I'll be back tomorrow."

"Well, you can show up, but I'm going to be at Capsule relaxing!"

Trunks had forgotten how quickly the weekend was coming. It didn't help that he skipped an entire day earlier in the week due to oversleeping.

"Fair enough. I'll see you then."

"Bye Trunks." He waved before walking out the door.

Ms. Nawa kept her composure until she was certain that Trunks was out of sight, at which point she slumped down onto her stool, completely drained of energy and clever ideas. She wasn't used to this much scheming. She was a novice schemer compared to Bulma and all of the white lies were beginning to put a tax on her. She sat back on the stool fanning her face with one of the magazines that Trunks had brought her. The magazine reminded her. Their plan to cause Nadia and Trunks to bump into each other at The Pretty Fish had failed. Luckily the war was not yet lost. Their overall plan was still salvageable. If only she could think of something.

A short while after Trunks had left, the door opened, and in walked Nadia with several shopping bags.

"How was shopping honey?" Ms. Nawa wasn't very enthusiastic, knowing that shopping didn't turn out the way that she had hoped or intended.

"All I know is that the boys in this city just keep getting cuter." She sighed, walking in and setting her bags down on the counter.

"What is that supposed to mean?" She already knew what it meant. Ms. Nawa saw something, which caused her great concern. She knew the face of her own daughter very well, and this new look was nothing short of disturbing. She could tell that this plan had just become far more complicated. She knew that it would be twice as hard to fix her daughter up with Trunks if she had already formed a crush on somebody else.


	9. Chapter 9: The Spark

**Chapter 9: The Spark**

"She said what!" Bulma screamed into the telephone.

"Bulma, relax. It might be nothing."

Bulma raised her voice even louder. "On what planet is meeting another guy nothing!?"

Ms. Nawa held the phone away from her ear. She looked to the backroom where Nadia was working the store numbers. She was finishing a task that Ms. Nawa was forced to do after hours, but Nadia knew how to do it even better than her mother. She was far enough away not to hear the conversation, but Ms. Nawa knew that she still needed to be discreet.

"So my idea didn't quite turn out the way I had planned, so what?"

"Didn't quite turn out?" That's an understatement! Now if we want this to work you're going to have to lock her up and forbid her to leave the apartment."

"Very funny Bulma."

"I'm not joking Lita, if you want this plan to work at all, then you have to lock her up!"

"No! I refuse. This is our problem, not hers! We should have anticipated that something like this might happen."

"Well, it was your idea to send her out for a bathing suit in the first place!"

"Yes, and if I had not then they would have met at the grocery unceremoniously and our plan would be worthless right now!"

Sparks were flying between both telephone receivers. The two women actually resorted to grunting at each other for a few moments. Afterwards came a long moment of silence.

Bulma decided to concede. "Okay, you're right. I should have been ready with a contingency plan."

"Well let's come up with something now."

And so the two women began to plot the next phase of their children's love-trap.

* * *

Elsewhere in Pepper Town, Trunks was just walking out of The Pretty Fish. He had finally purchased his mother's sexy bathing suit with ease. It wasn't as bad as he thought it would be after all. It was just about as embarrassing as buying dirty magazines for Master Roshi. Before he could head home for the day he decided that it was time to give Chi-Chi a visit. He knew that she would want to hear about his trip into the past. He had put this visit off for too long. He had been making excuses for so long that he almost forgot why he felt so uncomfortable around Chi-Chi, but the closer he came to the outskirts of Pepper town the more he remembered. Gohan was her life after Goku died. It was those reasons that made it hard for Trunks knowing Gohan was also dead.

When Trunks was far enough out of the city that he wouldn't be noticed, he took flight for the mountains. Within several minutes he was staring at Mount Paozu. It made sense for Chi-Chi to live in those mountains while Goku was still alive, but it was strange for her to stay in such a dangerous place living by herself. She must not have wanted to let go of her memories. Besides, her father the Ox King was usually there to look after her.

The closer he got to the mountain, the stranger he began to feel. It was unusual to Trunks, so he slowed down a bit. It quickly became such an intense feeling that he started to become sick. Something was building up inside of him, he just didn't know what. He pushed the feeling to the back of his mind, attributing it to how awkward it felt to be visiting Chi-Chi.

The mountain where Goku and Gohan used to live reminded Trunks of his visit to the past. How these places managed to stay so unchanged more than twenty years later he had no idea, but he couldn't deny his feelings of nostalgia. He was fooling himself however. In reality, things had changed a great deal. Gohan and Goku were both gone and all that remained of them were the memories cherished by those left behind.

Trunks landed in front of Chi-Chi's house. Smoke seemed to puff out of the chimney in perfect little spheres every couple of seconds, evidence that someone was home. He knocked on the door and waited with his breath held. The door to the house opened slowly, revealing Chi-Chi. The years had never been as kind to her as Bulma, but it had worsened since Gohan died. Her hair was starting to gray, and her eyes told the sad story she had endured.

"Trunks?" She spoke softly.

"H-hello." His voice trembled for a moment, but he took a deep breath, trying to put the past behind him. "Did my mother call you?"

"Bulma told me you stopped your training. I hoped you would stop by and visit. Do you have time for some lunch? Please, come in."

"Yes, thank you." Trunks walked into the house and Chi-Chi closed the door behind him.

She walked to the kitchen where lunch must have been cooking. The smell was hard to ignore as the tasty fumes seemed to fill every room. Ox-King was on a couch sleeping quite silently.

Chi-Chi continued to talk from the kitchen. "We've been cooking lunch all week long hoping you would stop by. Please Trunks, have a seat."

He looked around the room. Ox-King was taking up the entire couch and two reclining chairs, leaving a chair at the small, round table as his only choice. As he sat down he noticed all of the photos from the past hanging throughout the room. Many of them were Goku with Gohan as a baby, but the more he looked at them, the more he noticed pictures of himself at different ages; more pictures than Bulma had at Capsule, he thought. A feeling of guilt crept over him. He realized how selfish it was to avoid Chi-Chi for so long.

"I hope you're hungry!" Chi-Chi came rushing around the corner with a steaming tray of food, enough for two Ox-Kings. She set it into the middle of the table, placing the utensils and plates down. Something must have stirred the Ox-King to his senses, because no sooner had the sound of plates clanged on the table was he sitting up and stretching.

"What smells so delicious Chi-Chi?" Ox-King rubbed his eyes, letting out a massive yawn.

"Papa, Trunks is here for lunch."

"What? Trunks?" He reached for his glasses and slapped them on his face. Then, like an earthquake a smile cracked across his face; and with the force of an exploding volcano he erupted into laughter.

"Hello." Trunks bowed his head respectfully.

"Trunks! We've been expecting you! So glad you could make it! Where's Bulma?"

"Oh, mother's had her hands full this last week. I really don't have too much time to stay… I just thought I would-"

He was swiftly interrupted by Chi-Chi.

"Nonsense! We have so much to catch up on! I've already started on supper! Do you like duck? Eat your lunch so you can hurry up and make room!"

"Um… yes, of course." Trunks gulped. For the first time in years he felt too out of place to object, so he reached for his plate of food and began eating.

After several hours of eating and talking, Trunks was mentally exhausted. He felt like three years of stories were condensed into their quaint little living room chat, but most of what he had to say involved the Natamoru and the threatening alien invaders. Ch-Chi went on about her day to day happenings which never stretched out of the ordinary aside from being chased by a dinosaur every so often. It took hours before there was a long enough stretch of silence. Feeling the time was right; Trunks stood up and checked his watch.

"Thanks for everything, but I should really be going."

Chi-Chi's eyes quickly saddened. "So soon?"

Ox-King put one of his large hands on her shoulder to comfort her. "It's late Chi-Chi. Trunks has been here for ages already. He has a lot of important things going on at Capsule Corporation right now, we shouldn't keep him any longer."

"Daddy, Capsule Corporation is in the Western Capitol; Trunks and Bulma are just at an auxiliary branch."

"Chi-Chi, it's time."

The room was silent. Trunks felt he should speak, but the words didn't come.

"You're right. Silly of me to forget." Chi-Chi stood up and brushed her hands off.

"I'll make sure to visit more often." Trunks' voice seemed to instill some hope in Chi-Chi as her face softened. "I'm sorry I've been avoiding the mountain so much. It's not your fault. It's hard for me to come back here Chi-Chi. You understand?" Once the words started, they kept going until it was too late to take anything back. Chi-Chi walked forward and grabbed Trunks' hand.

"I know how you feel. Maybe more than anyone else we know how each other feels. That's why we need to stick together. Gohan would want us to live. That's why he fought to protect the earth. All we have are each other."

It was the first time anyone mentioned Gohan all day.

Trunks smiled. He was glad he came to visit after all.

He left the house, eager to return next time. He burst off in flight, heading back to Capsule. Trunks mind was much clearer than he could remember. There were no negative thoughts flowing through his head. Maybe that was why the feeling of nausea had returned with such renewed strength. He reached a similar point in the mountains as he had before when he first had these feelings. He stopped completely.

"What is this?" He looked around. The area was unfamiliar, but he couldn't shake the feeling. At the moment he was most confused it hit him the hardest. A large white flash sparked in front of his eyes, almost like someone flicked a switch on and then quickly off again. Someone's Ki had set it off. It seemed strangely familiar, or similar to something he knew. It was an energy unlike any he had sensed for a long time, and it caused him to feel incredibly ill.

He took several deep breathes, trying to focus his energy. Once the sickness had subsided, he was still puzzled by this unique energy he sensed. He continued floating in midair and closed his eyes. He focused every shred of concentration. All he knew was that he needed to solve this riddle; something was missing. After ten minutes of patient meditation, what seemed like a freak occurrence had somehow slipped through his mind naturally. What was this energy? He waited patiently in the sky for his answer. Everything was silent. Even the breeze had stopped, as if submitting to the vigor of his will alone. After an eternity of moments, a large white spark, once again, snapped in front of his eyes forcing them open. This time the switch was on long enough for him to form a picture in his mind; and what he saw was beyond any doubt.

He looked around frantically in his search for more answers. How was it possible? There was only one person that had any chance of telling him what he needed to know. He changed his course, flying as fast as he could.

* * *

Nadia sat in the backroom of the grocery checking inventory and calculating profits for the week. She knew that her mother struggled with the business side of running the grocery, but it wasn't completely her fault. She always had such a strong customer following that she never needed to be business savvy. Times were changing though, and people were becoming more accustomed to shopping in the larger retail supermarkets. She knew that the little grocery wasn't turning good enough numbers to stay open much longer.

She finished up what she was doing and tidied the small desk area, shuffling accounting documents into their rightful places and sorting things in a somewhat orderly manner. She wondered how her mother managed to get anything done at all, as messy as she was. Nadia picked up a small pamphlet that was propped up against the large pencil sharpener. It was a brochure for Capsule Corp. College. She opened it up, scanning it briefly. Ms. Nawa walked into the room with a smile on her face.

"How are you doing back here?"

Nadia looked up from the booklet with a smile. "I'm finished."

"Wow, that was fast." Ms. Nawa noticed that her daughter was reading the pamphlet, which she had earlier placed as a part of her ongoing strategic efforts. "So, what do you think?"

Nadia blinked several times, looking up. "What?"

"Did you see the campus yet?"

Nadia continued to flip the pages. "No, I can't find any pictures in here."

Ms. Nawa knew that she had her now, hooked line and sink. "Well, you should go and check out the facilities this weekend."

Nadia looked up at her mother again.

"You expect me to go by myself?"

"Well, I thought I could close shop for the weekend and we could both go out there tomorrow."

Nadia was surprised. Her mother rarely closed down early; let alone closed for an entire weekend. Something was suspicious.

"Alright mom, what's going on? Why the sudden change of store policy?"

Ms. Nawa took a step back. Her daughter's accusation caught her off guard. "Nadia, what do you mean?"

"You've never closed the grocery on the weekends, so what's going on? Why the sudden change?"

Ms. Nawa lowered her head for a moment.

"I just missed you. I wanted us to be able to spend some time together outside of the grocery this summer, that's all." Before she could do anything, Ms. Nawa turned around and began to walk away.

Nadia jumped up to stop her. "Mommy, wait!"

Ms. Nawa turned around. "Yes honey?" They both looked at each other silently. After several long moments, Nadia spoke.

"What time did you want to get up tomorrow?"

Ms. Nawa smiled. Although part of her knew that Nadia was right to be suspicious, the other part of her still genuinely wanted to spend time loving her daughter. She knew it was the price she would pay for her minor scheming. As long as she knew that the end would justify the means, she could handle a little discomfort.

"Whenever you want to we can go. Just make sure that it isn't too early. I forgot how nice it is to sleep in."

Nadia laughed underneath her breath. "Okay."

They both smiled at one another. Nadia was happy that her mother wanted to be with her this summer, and Ms. Nawa was especially happy that Nadia agreed to visit Capsule. It gave her and Bulma another chance. It would take skill and luck, but they could possibly be victorious before classes began next week. It was up to Trunks and Nadia from this point on. She knew that matchmakers could only interfere with fate so much before it sprouted legs and walked on its own.

* * *

Trunks' mind never deviated once from his task. Within minutes he was staring at Korin's tower. The ancient pillar that stretched through the clouds had become beaten and weathered since the time of the androids, yet it still stood strong. It reminded Trunks that he should ask Korin if he could spare any senzu beans, but he knew that he might not need them if what he sensed was true. He started flying upward until soon the old lookout was right before his eyes. He reached the top, landing on the ancient marbled surface. Waiting for him already was a small, tubby, black man wearing a funny white turban. He knew the genie must have been waiting for him.

"You have some explaining to do," Trunks said.

The small man smiled at Trunks. "It is good to see you master Trunks. Won't you come inside to discuss this with me?"

Trunks' face was on the verge of anger, but he continued his attempt to be polite. He followed the small genie into the heart of the temple where Popo sat in a large chair meant for someone twice his size. The sanctuary reminded him of when he had paid it a visit twenty-three years in the past. Nothing had changed at all. Trunks hadn't visited Mr. Popo for a long time either. The last time he saw the strange little man was some short days after he had defeated the androids and laid Imperfect Cell to waste. Trunks knew that he could stroll down memory lane once the more pressing issue on his mind was laid to rest.

"I'm sorry to barge in unannounced, but I need answers Popo. You know what I'm talking about, so don't make me beat around the bush."

"You need to ask the questions first, master Trunks. It is essential in any conversation for questions to exist before answers can be given."

Trunks narrowed his eyes. He was not in the mood to play games. "You want questions? How about this one: Why don't you start by telling me how Piccolo and Kami are still alive?"

"Perhaps you should sit down first." Popo was a brick wall, showing no emotion except for a fake, almost permanent, smile.

Trunks was in no mood to be patient either. He had waited long enough. "Didn't you think it was important that you told someone?!" His voice carried into the temple and echoed through the heart of the sanctuary.

Mr. Popo looked upset by the minor outburst. Trunks didn't care. In his mind he was restraining himself.

"Master Trunks, please try and stay calm."

"What about Gohan? Don't you think he would have wanted to know?!"

Mr. Popo sighed deeply. "But he did know."

Trunks was silenced by the response. His anger ceased. Instead he felt only a blanket of ignorance lifted. He was beyond being speechless.

Popo used the silence as an opportunity to talk. "Now that you are ready to listen, why don't you follow me?" Mr. Popo hopped up and began walking further into the sanctuary and Trunks silently followed.

After several minutes they reached a door near the very bottom of the temple. It led to a room that Trunks had never seen before. The door was covered with ornate symbols and carvings. He knew that the answers he sought after must certainly have been in the confines of that room.

Mr. Popo turned towards Trunks. "Please understand that you were too young for this knowledge to do you any good. Please do not feel like you were ever lied to."

Trunks opened the door quickly, nearly shoving Popo out of the way. The large chamber room was completely empty except for an altar covered with many thick and colorful assortments of cloth and pillows. Trunks approached the altar, both of his fists clenched tightly. As soon as his eyes perceived the item upon the altar he stopped. He felt like he was falling, the room began to spin. His jaw dropped, and his knees became weak. It was the first time in his life that he had felt such immense gratitude and hope.

"Impossible…." Trunks whispered.

Mr. Popo walked forward casually, as if he had seen the relic a hundred times. "But it _is_ possible. I found it almost twenty years ago. It was frozen in the heart of a glacier."

"But…will it ever hatch?" Trunks walked towards the altar, getting a better look at the large, pale green egg. He held his hand over it, closing his eyes. If it had been within the sanctuary for so long without hatching, then maybe it was dead, but he had to make sure. Within moments, a spark flashed in his mind and a smile covered his face.

"You can still sense his life energy, can you not?"

"It's what I felt in the mountains. It was that life energy that brought me here Popo. I don't understand how I could've missed it for so long." Trunks turned around, facing the small black man. "Tell me the whole story."

Mr. Popo and Trunks returned to the heart of the sanctuary, where the genie began to tell him everything between sips of hot tea. "Kami and I were watching from above. It was horrible. When Vegeta fell to those Androids, we had lost almost all hope. Piccolo was nowhere near as strong as Vegeta but he still felt that if he could fight them one on one, he might have a chance."

"But why didn't he merge with Kami? That would have made him strong enough to defeat both androids in this time."

"Piccolo was different Trunks. Not only would he never agree to such a merger, but I don't think Kami would have trusted Piccolo with so much power. Although he had changed much, it would have been too dangerous for them to merge in his condition."

Trunks nodded. "Please, go on."

"As I was saying. Piccolo was no match for them. The battle didn't last very long, and once it had ended, all hope for this planet was lost. I sat by, watching Kami as he began to fade from existence. He knew that if he died, no one would be able to use the dragon balls. It was then at that time that he hatched his plan. He quickly gathered his essence and spit out an egg, launching it into the atmosphere. Within that egg, he captured his very life force, so that a part of him, and Piccolo, could live on." Popo paused, sipped his tea, and continued. "Obviously his plan to save the dragon balls has failed. As you know, they disappeared long ago. But the egg was still intact when I found it several months later. Of course, it was frozen, but I took it back here, where I hoped it would eventually hatch."

"What did Gohan do about it?"

"There wasn't much that he could do about it. He was afraid that it would be false hope if he revealed it to any of the survivors. At that time he was still just a young teen. It was probably harder for him to keep it a secret than it was for me."

Trunks shook his head. "That doesn't make sense Popo. I felt Kami's energy within the egg. Gohan should have known that we could incubate it back to health at Capsule Corporation."

Mr. Popo rubbed his chin in response to Trunks acclamation. "Hmm. Yet he did nothing. Rather strange. Keep in mind that by the time he was an adult, Gohan had lost much of his hope that the egg would ever be anything but a piece of history."

Trunks stood up from his seat. "That isn't acceptable." Trunks stood up and walked back into the temple.

"Where are you going?" Popo stood and followed him quickly, a droplet of sweat appeared on the back of his turban.

The young Saiyan turned back with a look on his face of determined. "I'm taking the egg back to Capsule. If Kami is trapped inside, then I'm going to let him out."

* * *

The alien craft had arrived at Capsule's main hanger earlier that morning. Bulma decided to give it a visit after her long conversation with Lita. Once she stepped onboard she was busy working for hours. Her cipher of the alien language was easy to integrate into the ships CPU and their computer systems didn't really turn out to be much different than the ones available on earth. Somewhere during the third and fourth hours of work, she stumbled upon the information that she wanted: The ships flight history for the past twenty years.

"That's a good girl; give momma what she came for!"

The small group of Natamoru interns in human disguise looked at Bulma, blinking and confused.

Bulma blushed. "Oh, not you girls… the ship." She pointed at the large monitor, which didn't seem to put the Natamoru girls at ease.

Nevertheless, they returned to their work.

"Oh, forget it!" Bulma continued typing on the laptop she had plugged into the alien CPU. "All I have to do is redirect this to one of our servers on site and I can get out of this mucky ship." She continued typing away, apparently directing the information to her office at Capsule.

Her wristwatch beeped urgently. Taking a break from her current operation, she lifted the wristwatch to see Trunk's face. "What's up son; you almost home?"

"Mother, I need your help… _now_."


	10. Chapter 10: Hope Sleeps

**Chapter 10: Hope Sleeps**

"We're miles from home right now, what's going on?" Bulma wiped some grease and sweat from her face. She stared at her son through the small screen of her wristwatch, trying to read his expression.

"I don't need you to come home; I need you to come to the lookout."

"Kami's old lookout? What are you doing up there?

"Maybe you should come here before I say anything."

"Trunks, I'm a grown woman; I'm your mother; I'm perfectly capable of dealing with any news you can come up with. Did I panic when you said that aliens invaded earth just recently?"

"Sort of."

"But I pulled it together, right? What makes you think I'd just fall to pieces over some epic piece of news?" She scrunched her nose and stuck her tongue out.

"I have an egg with Kami's lifeforce inside of it."

"Kami? That would have to mean Picollo is…" Bulma fainted before she could finish her statement.

The group of Natamoru interns scrambled to action, surrounding her. They lifted her head and began fanning her while they chattered frantically. One of them could hear Trunks' muffled voice coming from the wristband.

She picked up Bulma's arm by the wrist, smiling at Trunks. "Trunks, it's me, Gem."

He smiled when her face came into the camera's view. "Is my mother alright?"

"She's fine. Looks like she got a little dizzy. What happened? What did you say?"

"Just something that came as a surprise to her. Are you all at the hangar?"

"Yes, we're accessing the computers on the ship. I think Bulma found what we were looking for, so we were about ready to pack up and leave."

Before Trunks could answer her, Bulma snapped right up, snatching her wrist back, looking at Trunks fiercely. "Trunks, do you know what this means? With Picollo back, the Dragonballs can return!"

"Hurry up and get here, then we can talk."

"Wait, why don't you just fly it home?"

"This egg hasn't hatched in twenty years; I'm not taking any chances. I'll be waiting in the sanctuary. Just make sure we have enough room to safely transport it."

"Alright, I'll hurry." Bulma pressed the red button, ending the transmission. Her face filled with determination. She stood up, clenched her fist and pointed towards the horizon. "Ladies, we're going on a field trip!"

The Natamoru girls began chattering again with excitement. As Bulma marched out of the alien ship, they followed her, carrying the research equipment with them. They approached the ships main exit, where a large steel lift waited, ready to transport them to the ground below. They all quickly boarded the bulky lift and Bulma closed the security gate, locking it in place. A few button presses later, and they were zipping towards the ground. Some of the girls laughed as the sensation of fluttering butterflies tickled their stomachs. In a matter of seconds, they had reached the ground safely. The gate opened and wasting no time, Bulma continued marching towards the shuttle. When she was twenty feet away, she skidded to a halt. She took a deep breath and cursed quietly to herself. Every Natamoru ear perked up, trying to listen.

"Change of plans. I can't take all of you. Some of you are going to have to stay and wait until later. I'm really sorry, but that's the way it is. I can make room for two of you, but four of you have to stay behind. Any volunteers?"

Gem and Bell raised their hands. They both smiled and spoke in unison. "We'll go with you Bulma."

"That's nice of you. I kind of meant any volunteers to stay behind… but if no one else objects, that's fine by me!" She looked at the other girls as they shrugged indifferently. "Alright you two, saddle up!"

The mid sized shuttle jet was much smaller than the large transport bus used to rescue the Natamoru. Its size also afforded it the luxury of speed. Once Bulma and the two girls were belted and harnessed in, she started the ignition. The powerful jets roared with flames as they reached full power. Without a second delay, Bulma wrenched the throttle and away they went. For the first moments, soaring through the sky felt much more intense than the measly butterflies they felt going down on the lift. That feeling combined with the inability to move their necks made it quite an adventure indeed. After Bulma made it high into the sky, she slowed down, returning the flight conditions to normal.

"Alright, you can unbuckle yourselves now. It won't be too long, maybe an hour or less, so get comfortable."

Gem and Bell both nodded; unbuckling their safety harnesses. Bell looked into her sister's eyes, channeling thoughts directly into her mind.

_Did you hear what she said? What are Dragonballs? What do you think Trunks is up to?_ She thought.

Gem squinted her eyes, before responding. _Let's ask Bulma. I don't think it's a secret. I'm sure she'll tell us. And if she doesn't, we'll find out anyways._

Bell gasped out loud. Bulma looked at her out of the corner of her eyes, but paid no mind. Bell's eyes narrowed, scolding her sister. _We're not supposed to use our abilities to pry secrets! If she doesn't tell us, then that's the end of it, ok?_

Gem rolled her eyes. _Fine. You ask her. Your voice is cuter._

Bell gently cleared her throat. "Um, Bulma? What are Dragonballs?"

"I completely forgot to tell you, didn't I? It's hard to remember you gals aren't from around here. Well, you're in for a treat. I've known about this story since I was a young girl, and it still doesn't get old!" Bulma cleared her throat before continuing. "A long time ago, earth had a guardian named Kami. He watched over the earth, made sure no one got out of line, you know? Well, Kami wasn't from earth at all! He was from the planet Namek, see? He didn't know that for many years, but he did know about the Dragonballs!"

"What are they?" Bell leaned forward, her eyes wide with excitement.

Gem nudged her in the ribs, trying to deflate her enthusiasm.

"Ouch, sorry." Bell whispered. She rubbed her side as Bulma continued.

"The Dragonballs are seven mystical orbs that when brought together, summon the mighty Eternal Dragon! On earth, that Dragon's name is Shenron! Now the cool thing about summoning the Dragon is that he grants you a wish so he can return to his slumber. Almost anything you can imagine, Shenron can do!" Bulma clicked her fingers and winked at Bell.

"Wow! Have you ever seen a Dragonball before?" Bell sat on the edge of her seat, hanging on Bulma's every word.

"I've summoned the Dragon many times."

Gem interrupted the back and forth exchange. "So what does this have to do with Trunks?"

"Oh yeah." Bulma reached forward, placing both hands on the ships controls. "Well, Kami died a long time ago. When he did, the Dragonballs lost all of their power. It seems that Trunks might have found a way to bring him back. And if that's true, earth might once again get a new set of Dragonballs. I don't expect you to understand, but it means a lot of hope to me. This world is different than it used to be. Hope is pretty short these days."

"I understand, Bulma. That's fantastic news." Gem added.

"Yeah, that's awesome!" Bell couldn't help but cheer.

Bulma raised her hands in the air triumphantly. "I know, right? This has been a pretty exciting week. It brings back memories."

Gem sat forward, her eyes glimmering with quiet expectation. "What kind of memories?"

Bulma grinned wildly. "Well, if you insist… It all started when I was a young girl, maybe sixteen. After hearing the Dragonball legend, I invented a radar to track them!"

"Wow!" Gasped Bell.

_You're such a child sometimes,_ thought Gem as she rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. The small jet continued to zoom through the sky, leaving a thin trail of white smoke in its wake.

* * *

Trunks sat quietly on the steps leading into the main sanctuary while paced nervously. The small genie stopped in place and turned to Trunks.

"Maybe this is a bad idea. If we disturb it… all hope might be lost."

Trunks sat still, his eyes closed, he meditated on the egg. "Don't take this the wrong way, but any hope this egg could have brought is long gone anyways. If we can't hatch it at Capsule, then nothing can.

Tears began filling the genie's eyes as he continued pacing again. Trunks could sense his sorrow. It was almost as if his feelings were standing right there with them, waiting. A little less than an hour had passed before the sound of engine's echoing through the sky could be heard, and a short time later, the small Capsule Jet was in view. Trunks opened his eyes as the wind raced across his skin. The Jet hovered very slowly before landing, kicking up dust and rustling the palm trees. Mr. Popo covered his face, but Trunks didn't even flinch. The ship landed with a large thud and the engines powered down. Before the hatch was fully opened, Bulma jumped out and dashed toward them. Trunks stood up to meet her, the egg remained wrapped in a blanket, cradled in his arms.

"Is that it?" Bulma glanced at , smiling. "Hey ! How have you been?"

"He's not doing so good right now; separation anxiety." Trunks pulled the blanket away carefully, revealing the pale, green egg.

Bulma's jaw dropped slowly. She reached out to touch the surface of the egg, but stopped herself. "It looks like it was made yesterday… We need to get home right away." Bulma put her hand on Trunks' back, ushering him towards the ship. She waved goodbye to . "Sorry I can't stay for coffee or something… I'll call you and let you know how everything goes!"

"But… I don't have a pho-"

He was quickly interrupted again by Bulma. "Bye!" She closed the door to the ship.

Carefully they strapped themselves in again and slowly this time, the ship gathered speed for their return to Capsule Corp. Gem and Bell couldn't take their eyes or smiles off of Trunks. As soon as he noticed them, his heart jumped and his face felt hot.

"How are you two doing?"

Bell couldn't resist the invitation, and overflowed like a river. "Bulma told us all about everything! How you defeated those artificial humans and traveled back in time and… everything!"

"I'm glad she kept you entertained."

Before Bell could continue spouting out more information, Gem reached up and silenced her. "Do you think you can bring Kami and the Dragonballs back, Trunks?"

He looked into Gems eyes, and then back down to the egg. "We'll find out."

* * *

Several hours later, back at Capsule Corp, Bulma returned to the emerald terrace in a shuttle bus filled with the Natamoru interns she left behind earlier. The hatch opened and they poured out, returning to the group of Natamoru who were lounging around.

"Sorry about that! If I knew it was gonna be longer than a few hours, I woulda called you guys a cab! She dusted off her hands, wiping the dried grease on her pants. In all of the confusion, she forgot how badly she needed a shower. She lifted her arm and sniffed gently. "Not too bad!" She pressed a button on her wristband. The screen flashed for several seconds until Trunks' face appeared. "Hey! Do you need any help down there?"

"No, I have the computer monitoring it now. It's doing a full scan and incubating," he said.

"Don't forget, Namek babies incubate differently than normal ones."

"I didn't. I went through all of the data you collected when the Namekians visited earth twenty-some years ago.

Bulma blinked, surprised. "Oh, of course you did! Well, I knew you would have everything under control. I'm gonna get washed up. I'll come down and fix all of your mistakes later." She gave him a wink.

"Thanks mother." The transmission ended.

Bulma looked up at the beautiful, puffy white clouds and took a deep breath. "What a fantastic day!" She walked leisurely into the main building, smiling politely at the Natamoru boys and girls as she passed them. Her walk seemed to have a subtle skip to it, as she unzipped her jacket and tossed it aside. Her fingertips brushed the wall, as she dazedly continued to the showers. Her mind was clear and content, filled with hope and possibility, dreams and wishes. Part of her realized the Dragonballs could restore order to the earth if they needed to be used, and her selfish side wanted to wish for Trunks to find a mate. She walked into the showers and turned them on, peeling the grimy tanktop off of her body and tossing it onto the floor, starting a small pile.

"These clothes should be burned! Yuck!" She unsnapped her bra and tossed it aside too. She closed her eyes, stretching her arms as far as she could reach. Suddenly, a small robot dropped out of the ceiling and hovered into the room.

"BUL-MA . . ."

At the sound of the robotic voice, she jumped into the air, scrambling to cover herself as quickly as possible. She hunched forward, hiding herself, and looked around.

"HEY, DON'T YOU REALIZE I'M IN HERE SHOWERING?!" She shrieked, her eyes squinting closed from anger. She opened them to see the small robot floating in place, a small oil droplet down the back of its metal head. It twiddled its metal fingers, unsure of what to do or say.

"… You in-struct-ed me to de-liver your mes-sage-es from Na-wa Gro-cer-y Store di-rect-ly to you…"

She sighed, regaining her composure, still covering her breasts adamantly. "I thought I programmed you with some _manners,_ that's all. Turn around already and quit gawking!"

The small robot fluttered its arms in a panic and quickly turned, facing the tiled wall.

"There, now stay like that!" She reluctantly unguarded herself and continued undressing, tossing the rest of her clothes in the pile. She walked into the hot water and gave a sigh of frustration combined with relaxation. She grabbed a bar of soap and began washing off the thin later of grease that coated her skin. The hot water felt like a massage from heaven on her tired muscles. She didn't realize how stressful the last few days had been. She rinsed her hands off and reached for the shampoo. She closed her eyes and worked it into a nice, foamy lather. She quirked one eye open and glanced at the small robot that continued to hover in the corner. "Are you gonna deliver the message or what? I'm waiting already! Geeze, if you don't shape up I'll turn you into a toaster or something more useful!" She sighed again and began rinsing the lather out of her hair.

"YES… of course… so-rry BUL-MA. I will re-play the mes-sage now… LOAD-ING…" The sound of Ms. Nawa talking over the phone echoed through the shower.

"Hey Bulma, it's me, Lita… just wondering if we're still on for the campus tour tomorrow? Nadia is suspicious, so you need to be on top of your game if you want to convince her. What about Trunks? Have you figured out how we're gonna… do this? I mean… I don't know, I wish you were there to talk to me more. You've been really distant this week… Trunks too. What's going on over there? Call me back so I know what time to come over… otherwise, we'll be there at nine, ok? Call me, please! Bye."

The robot chimed in at the message completion. "End of mes-sage. Would you like me to re-peat it BUL-MA?" There was no answer, only silence.

"Would you like me to re-peat the mes-sage?" Again, there was nothing. The robot reluctantly began turning around. "BUL-MA?" When the robot had finished turning around, she was gone. A small question mark appeared above its head.

Through the halls of capsule corp, dripping with soap suds and water, almost falling out of her towel with no time for modesty, Bulma raced to the terrace. She ran out the doors and whistled as loudly as she could, causing all of the Natamoru to cringe. They turned, only to be even more confused by her appearance.

"I need all of your help, now!"

* * *

Trunks pressed the enter key on the computer one final time initiating the final incubation commands. He stood up and walked towards the glass where the egg was being housed. He couldn't help but give a hopeful smile. Finally it seemed like everything was looking up for them. He turned to the door as a small spark snapped in his mind. He could sense the ki of the Natamoru boys, Daku and Kolato. A moment later, the door opened automatically, and in they walked.

"Master Trunks," said Kolato with a bow.

Trunks smiled. He knew he had taken a long enough break from his own training, so teaching the twins might be a good way to get back on the horse, he thought.

"You guys are ambitious. Alright, let's go up to the gym. I have an idea how to start you guys out."

The boys couldn't contain their smiles as they followed Trunks up to the training area where they fought, not long ago. Although the debris from their battle was gone, the walls and ground still showed scars from the skirmish.

Trunks turned to the boys and crossed his arms. "Are you ready to begin?" he said.

"Yes." They said together. They stood several feet apart and began posturing for the fusion technique.

"Wait; there's no need to combine into one. I'll be training you separately."

Their eyes widened and they looked at each other, startled by his words. Daku stepped forward, speaking for both of them. "But our fighting skill is next to nothing without each other. We were never meant to fight alone."

"That might be true; but my hunch is the stronger you get in this form, the greater your power will become when you both fuse together. Any power worth having takes dedicated training to control." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small case and removing a capsule. With a single click, he tossed it to the floor where it burst into a cloud of smoke with a loud POOF! When the smoke cleared, there was a large case on the ground. Trunks walked over and opened the case. "This isn't going to be easy. This will be the hardest training you've ever endured. I'll test your physical and mental limits to their breaking points and beyond." He tossed four black bands towards the twins. "Daku, strap one of those onto each of your wrists. Kolato, you put one on each of your ankles."

The twins followed his instructions without question. Trunks closed the case and walked towards them, making sure the bands were secured tightly. After spending a minute to configure the bands, he pressed a button on his wrist watch, causing the bands to light up.

"These are gravity bands. You'll be wearing them while training, for now. We'll start you out easy. Two times earth gravity shouldn't be much. When you master this, then we can move on to the next level of training. Daku, your bands will only alter the gravity of your arms and essential upper body muscles. You'll be doing punch-block drills. Kolato, your bands effect the gravity surrounding your lower body, so you'll be doing kicking and dodging drills. Understand?"

The twins nodded, sharing the same look of determination. Trunks pressed the button on his wristband, activating the gravity bands. Immediately, the twins felt the strain of the gravity. Daku struggled to keep his hands above his waist while Kolato stood still, almost too afraid to take a single step.

* * *

Bulma had organized the Natamoru into different groups to help her prepare Capsule Corp. for the impromptu college fair. With their disguise bands activated, there was no difference between them and regular human students. Up until this point, Bulma had let the circumstances of Capsule Corp. Community College fall into place; but she knew now it was time to get serious. Despite being kept in slavery for such a long time, they seemed to thrive off of the work that Bulma had given them.

"Keep it up guys! That's great teamwork you're exhibiting! Each of you attending courses this semester are getting extra credit, so do your best!" Bulma said with a wink. There was a team of Natamoru dedicated to decorating for the fair, a team to setup the classrooms and a team to serve Bulma's every whim (the most necessary team of all!). Bulma pulled out her Capsule Corp. flip phone and immediately dialed the Nawa grocery. The phone rang twice before it was picked up on the other end.

"Nawa Grocery, how can I help you?" chimed a sweet voice.

"Lita, it's me Bulma. I got your message. Sorry I've been so distant. Things are hectic around here lately."

"I'm sorry, you want to talk to my mother? Hold on one second." Nadia set the phone down and walked into the other room. "Mother, you have a phone call from Bulma."

Ms. Nawa sat up, bumping the top of her head on a shelf, wincing slightly.

"Oh! Bulma! That's the…uh…dean of Capsule College! I wanted to make sure tomorrow was still good for a visit! How pleasant of her to call back!"

"Mother, how hard did you hit your head? Bulma's like your only friend in the world… you talk about her constantly."

Ms. Nawa stood still, half a smile on her face and one of her eyes twitching slightly. "Right…of course! She's also the dean, that's what I meant." She tried to smooth over the tension with a couple of forced laughs, but Nadia didn't seem to notice or care.

"Okay mom, she's on the phone right now."

"Right! Thanks darling! Why don't you take a lunch break, go pick up something to eat for us, hmm?"

"Sure." Nadia removed her apron and set it on the desk. She picked up a handbag and headed for the door. Ms. Nawa walked towards the phone and picked it up, smiling at Nadia as she watched her walk out the door.

"Bulma! You had me really worried, what's going on? "

"I'm busy getting things ready for orientation tomorrow. I ran into some trouble balancing my time, but things are going steady now. All I need is for you guys to show up."

A sigh of relief came from the other side of the phone. "That's great. I get stressed out pretty easily over things like this. Nadia is usually so resistant to me, but for some reason she's being surprisingly open to new ideas. We need to take advantage of it now! What's your plan for tomorrow? Are we introducing Trunks, or waiting?"

Bulma was silent. She forgot about Trunks. With all of her planning, she failed to realize that with the recent discovery of Kami's egg, pulling Trunks away could be harder than pulling teeth. She thought long and hard before answering. "We'll see."

* * *

The twins were training furiously under the supervision of their Saiyan instructor. It was clear that their frail bodies were having difficulty dealing with the new gravity, but they pushed onward regardless of their limitations.

"Daku, be steady with your punches. Your goal is to throw punches with identical power and speed. Kolato, keep moving between kicks; it'll make you faster and increase your power greatly." He reminded himself of Gohan as he spoke. _Trunks! Even out your punches! There's no point in throwing a punch if it's weaker than the ones before it. Don't save your energy, fight to exhaustion instead! It's the key to unlocking your true potential. _It made Trunks happy to see how far he'd come. He knew Gohan would be proud, were he still alive.

"Trunks!" Daku cried out. It quickly brought Trunks back to his senses.

The boys looked completely drained of all vitality. Trunks pressed a button on his wristband, returning their gravity to normal.

"Take a break guys." He walked towards them as they nearly collapsed. Daku lay on his back, breathing heavily, while Kolato fell to his knees, barely holding himself up. "Get used to the pain. Think about it like an investment in your power. If I'm right, you'll benefit much more from training in your weakened states."

"But it's…so…hard." Kolato said, gasping for his breath. "How are we supposed to keep this up?"

"You aren't supposed to keep up. Next time will be easier, but as soon as you two master this gravity, I'll increase it. The training won't stop until I have nothing else to teach."

The twins stared at each other, exasperated.

_Can we last under these conditions? How is this type of torture helping us? _Daku thought to his brother.

_We must persevere. I trust his guidance. We will keep strong; you'll see._ Thought Kolato.

Trunks' wristband beeped twice. It was an incoming call from Bulma. "What is it mother?" he said into his wristband.

"Trunks, where are you? I thought you'd be in the incubation room, but that's where I am."

"I was training the twins. I guess we got carried away with the time."

Bulma's heart dropped. If he was back to training already, she knew it would be hard to pry him away again. "You sure did! Please get some rest. Orientation for the college is tomorrow and I need you to help me. You didn't forget about your promise, did you?"

Trunks blushed slightly. He had forgotten about it in light of everything that had happened. "I'm sorry mother. Don't worry too much; we're turning in for the night. I'll see you tomorrow." Trunks ended the transmission and looked at his exhausted protégés. "Sweet dreams boys. Make sure to get plenty of rest for tomorrow. We'll pick up from where we left off then."


	11. Chapter 11: When Hearts Collide

**Chapter 11: When Hearts Collide**

The sun slowly began to rise on the newly finish grounds of Capsule Corporation Community College. What seemed impossible hours before was undergoing the finishing touches with help from the hard working Natamoru people. Bulma stood triumphantly near the entrance, both hands on her hips; looking deeply satisfied.

"Alright everyone, great work!" She shouted out.

The Natamoru workers cheered, as a small group hoisted the 'welcome' banner near the entrance to the freshly constructed cobblestone walkway. The morning light shined on the large clusters of balloons that covered the archway leading to the emerald terrace.

Bulma pulled out a small list and began checking it to herself. "Outside is done; Inside classrooms are finished; food and refreshments are ready to be deployed…" Her eyes widened quickly. She turned her gaze towards the exhausted laborers. She cupped her hands around her mouth creating a make-shift megaphone and called out to them: "Hey! If anyone is interested in attending classes, you have less than 3 hours to shower and get some rest! Thank you again, but you better get a move on!"

In a panic of excitement, pairs of Natamoru made a dash for the dormatories, laughing through their fatigue. They waved to Bulma as they rushed past her.

"You just might pull this one off Bulma," she whispered to herself. She looked at her watch and tapped a few buttons. She stared at the screen intently until it popped up with a message. "User Unavailable. "Where could he be…"

* * *

Trunks sat behind a polished computer monitor deep within the heart of Capsule Corp, going through pages of data collected about the mysterious Kami Egg. His eyes were fixed and he read without blinking. He hadn't gotten much rest, but his mind was ablaze with possibilities.

Something caught his attention and he turned to see Bulma standing in the doorway with both arms crossed.

"There you are Trunks," she said, smiling warmly. "I was starting to worry about you." She held up her wrist and tapped the screen of her multi-purpose watch.

"I took it off while training the twins but I didn't mean to worry you."

"It's okay. Orientation for school starts in a couple of hours. I'm not trying to be a bother; I'm just really excited about this. This world used to be thriving due to the numerous inventions and resources Capsule provided…but I'm sure your travel to the past gave you a good idea." She pushed off of the wall and started walking away. "Just make sure you take a shower, ok?"

"I'll start getting ready now." Trunks stood up, pushing off of the smooth black desk. He rolled his chair aside and walked briskly to catch up with Bulma.

"Thank you Trunks. I appreciate your cooperation."

"So am I correct in assuming we are the only faculty members?"

Bulma's eyes widened with astonishment. "Trunks, what kind of school do you think I plan on running?" The look on her face softened into a smile. "If you must know that was my original idea, but I have outsourced a number of college professors to take the load of basic classes off of my shoulders. You and I are the only ones I trust teaching the nuts and bolts of technology."

"And phys. Ed?" He said with a smirk.

Bulma rolled her eyes. "You were a no brainer for that. You're the most physically fit person in the whole world, am I right? I thought you'd be biting for a chance to teach that kind of class." Bulma continued talking, running over Trunks as he tried to speak." Anyways, I've already printed up the schedule for summer semester. There's no going back now." Bulma pulled a flier out of her back pocket and handed it to Trunks.

"I don't know how you found the time. I'm impressed."

They stopped at the elevator.

"It runs in the family; we come from a long line of obsessed over-worked scientists," Bulma squeezed Trunks arm and started walking away." I really have to run! Go do your thing and meet me in the courtyard at nine!"

Before Trunks could reply, the elevator chimed and the doors slid open. He turned to see Gem and Bell in their human disguises, looking strikingly different for once.

"Trunks!" Bell chirped.

"Hey Trunks." Gem whispered coolly.

"Hello Girls. Are you heading up?" Trunks replied.

Gem stepped out of the elevator and spoke. "We just finished our nap. We're heading down to the terrace now, but It was nice bumping into you."

Bell hopped out of the elevator, nudging Trunks. She blushed slightly, taking a small step back. "We had a feeling we might bump into you."

Trunks looked back and forth between the girls. "I just realized how different you are from each other."

Gem's eyes lit up, sparkling a bit. "You noticed, huh? "She squinted with a smile. "Who do you prefer?"

"Trunks, don't answer that." Bell said with a curled lip. Gem, that isn't fair. She thought to her sister.

Trunks blushed slightly. "I like you both."

Gem winked. "Good answer." She glared playfully at her twin sister. I was just playing Bells… I knew he wouldn't choose. She thought to her.

Trunks hesitated as he stepped into the elevator. "I'll see you both out there. I just have to get ready and I'll be right down." He waived goodbye.

The girls said goodbye, and the elevator door closed. Trunks leaned against the back wall and tilted his head up, comforted by the faint sound of the hydraulic lift. He thought back to the start of his morning. The boys were refreshed and eager to learn. Trunks didn't waste any time resuming where they had left off. He gave them instructions to train together and went to check on the egg.

The data he scoured wasn't conclusive yet. The computer said there was a 9% chance the egg would hatch- in a year. Trunks furrowed his brow at the thought and hit both fists against the back of the elevator, reverberating with a loud thud.

"Nine percent today is better than zero percent yesterday." He said to himself. The elevator came to a halt. As soon as the doors opened, Trunks stepped out, stopping himself abruptly as his eyes caught Mel only inches away from his face.

"Thinking about that egg you found?" She quipped.

"Yes. But you already knew that."

"Sorry Trunks, I could hear your mind literally shouting from three floors down. Don't be too upset, I was just curious who was…" She peeked around his shoulder and looked into the elevator, "..you sure can control your power when you need to."

Trunks placed his hand on the back of his neck, a droplet of sweat formed on his head.

"Yeah. I'm upset with the computer. Trying to tell me that hope is a long shot. I don't give up very easily; not anymore."

Mel slid up to Trunks' side. She hooked his arm with hers and began walking. "You have a strong spirit. You weren't always this strong. When we first arrived I felt fear in you. But something sure has boosted your confidence."

"This has been an interesting week. Trust me: the last three years haven't been anywhere near as memorable."

Mel stopped and turned Trunks towards her. "Good thing you have so many people to share these memories with." She bit her lip and looked down. "Trunks… it sure would be nice to spend some time with you alone. Is that something we could do?"

His heart jumped.

Mel picked up on it immediately, her lips stretching into a thin smile. "I'd like to show you some tricks I know, maybe help you ward off minds that may try and make themselves at home in yours."

Trunks exhaled. "You can do that?"

She nodded. "I know you have a busy schedule, so just let me know if you can make some time. We can talk a little bit more. I feel like I'd be a fool to pass up the opportunity to know you more."

"Sure. I can find the time."

* * *

Nadia and Ms. Nawa walked towards the entrance of Capsule Corp. Community College. A crowd of people swarmed at different paces, almost engulfing them as they piled towards the entrance. Although Ms. Nawa was clearly the more excited of the two, Nadia appeared to be lightening up.

"Look Dear! From outside it looks like such a beautiful campus. We are really blessed to have you staying here this summer." Ms. Nawa said.

"Are you still considering that? Wouldn't that be inconvenient for you? I mean school would only be a couple of miles away. It will be easier for me to open the grocery if I stay at home."

"You won't need to be opening the grocery," Ms. Nawa pulled her hair back and casually repinned it. "Honey, I hate to say this… but you're fired."

Nadia's eyes bulged out a bit as she choked on her next words. "W-what did you just say?"

"I mean not permanently fired," she held her hand up to Nadia calmly and spoke, "temporarily fired. Besides, I already told you I got a great deal on a tuition package dependant on you staying on campus."

Nadia gave a sigh of frustration. "I don't remember you having such a backbone. Maybe Bulma has been a good influence on you." She smirked.

Ms. Nawa tilted her head to the side and blinked erratically. "Backbone?"

"Lita!" Bulma yelled from the archway, through the massive crowd gathering. She raised her arms overhead and waived frantically.

The two Nawa women trudged their way towards Bulma, who ushered them into a small shaded clearing near the entrance. Nadia brushed herself off when they exited the crowd, running her hands down the skirt of her dress, flattening the pleats. Bulma handed Nadia a "CCCC" logo T-Shirt.

"You must be Nadia. Welcome to your new home away from home."

"Bulma, I assume?" Nadia asked rhetorically with a whimsical grin.

"Right! When your mother told me you were enrolling this semester, I didn't imagine you would be so beautiful." Bulma reached into her bag and pulled out a sealed envelope. "This is a letter of recommendation from me; the dean of admissions." Bulma smiled, her eyes squinting with joy.

"Thanks. I think?" Nadia let out a soft, quiet laugh.

Ms. Nawa cut swiftly into the conversation. "Yes Bulma, thank you. So… where is the… uh…"

"The refreshments, right? They are on the way. They will be here soon. Don't wander off too far." She curtsied informally to Nadia. "We'll all get together and talk when things quiet down a bit. I'll give you both the grand tour! Head over to the registration table and I'll meet you in 15 minutes or so!" Bulma scampered back through the crowd, heading to the main building.

Nadia held up the T-Shirt and examined it. "Cute logo. This looks a bit small though, doesn't it?"

"Space-age-materials, no doubt. Besides, your waist is small enough." Ms. Nawa poked Nadia in the stomach.

"It's not my waist I'm worried about flaunting, Mom." Nadia's normally white cheeks were slightly blushing as she put the T-shirt into her satchel.

"Oh. It's no different than a leotard, right sweetie? No need to let it get to you." She looked her daughter over once more. "I really like that dress on you. It looks very modern."

Nadia was wearing a long white dress with flowing pleats and thin shoelace straps. Her wild black bangs were parted, and her hair was pinned up in several layers. She readjusted the strap of her satchel over one shoulder, closing it and leaving the T-shirt inside. "Alright, I'm not that shy. I guess I'm just looking for a reason for this to not feel so perfect."

* * *

From overhead the entire Capsule Corp. Community College orientation expo looked like a carnival. There were balloons, sounds and more people than Capsule Corp had hosted in recent memory. What started out as a few course offerings had turned into a world renowned university over night. Visitors from all over the world were standing around, waiting for their chance to enroll. Bulma stood at the helm, near the entrance to the dormitory. A group of twenty-or-so hopeful students and parents stood waiting. A small, spherical, flying robot sputtered into view. Bulma caught a glimpse of the robot and snarled.

"You!"

The robot froze, nearly crashing before regaining it's composure. "BUL-MA!"

"I thought I turned you into a garbage disposal after our last meeting," she fumed.

"BUL-"

"Enough groveling. You've been promoted to Tourbot. I've taken the liberty of uploading the full campus tour, along with some manners for you. Now show these people a good time." Bulma winked, smacking the robot on the metallic backside.

"YES… RIGHT-THIS-WAY-FOLKS." The small robot wiped a large drop of oil off of the back of his head as he hovered into the building with the tour group following behind. Bulma watched the group fade into the building.

A sweet, smooth voice came from behind Bulma "Wow. Is that a Capsule Bot 2500 Multipurpose Personal Assistant?"

Bulma turned to see a young girl with platinum blonde, wavy hair. Already dressed in the latest and greatest Capsule Fashion trends, She wore a pink tech vest and bracelets over a black spandex turtleneck. She wore black spandex pants with 'CAPSULE' on the hips, and pink and silver tech boots. Her wavy hair fell over her face, mostly covering her left eye.

"No, actually. It's the 2750 model. I never launched this model for public use."

"You never launched the 2500 either, but I'm a huge capsule enthusiast." She extended her hand straight towards Bulma expecting a strong shake. "I'm Gia Gerhart. But everyone calls me Gigi. You're Bulma Brief. But you don't go by Bibi, do you?" She giggled, snorting quite unintentionally.

Bulma took her hand. "You're too cute. Are you applying for summer classes dear?"

Gigi's exposed eye widened and then rolled as she sighed. "I wish. I couldn't afford tuition without some kind of generous grant or scholarship. However, for such a time as this I have already prepared an entire proposal for you."

"Okay." Bulma looked at her watch. "I have a window of time here. This is your opportunity to wow me. Show me why you should go to C4! You have five minutes."

"Eh, really?" Her eyes sparkled with tears of jubilation. She clenched her fist, reached into her pocket and pulled out a small black remote control. "This is my current project: Robujin 4.2.2!" She pressed a button, and the ground began to rumble. A dark shadow loomed overhead.

Bulma, and everyone else near the entrance to the dorms for that matter, looked up in amazement as a large robot descended. The crowd dispersed to the edges of the emerald terrace as the 3 story tall robot landed, smoke and flame billowing from its feet.

"Gigi! Maybe now isn't such a good time for-" Bulma was silenced as the young girl cut her off.

"Wait! He can do more! Using my proprietary compression technology, similar to Capsule Dimension technology, I can reduce or increase his size depending on the current demand." She pressed another button, and the robot began to transform and shrink in a mess of steel coils twisting and plates of metal shifting until the robot stood only 6 feet tall.

Some spectators closest to the incident began slinking towards the exit.

Bulma reached forward. "Ok, you're accepted; you're accepted… just hand me the remote control."

Gigi gasped with excitement, before jumping up and down, her fist shoved towards the sky, squeezing the remote control at the same time. The Robujin began shifting and transforming again until it took the shape of a large cylindrical cannon. As quickly as it mounted itself to the ground, it began speaking.

"TARGETTING: TARGET ACQUIRED: ENGAGED."

Gigi came back to her senses, albeit a bit dazed and confused. "Wha-?" In a panic, she looked at her hand and dropped the remote. "No! Bad Robujin, don't target anyone, cease fire!"

Robujin'S cannon began powering up. "FIRE COMMAND AKNOWLEDGED."

Bulma held both of her hands out." Nononono!"

Gigi reached for the remote but accidentally kicked it out of reach. She turned to see where Robujin was pointed. She cupped her hands and yelled as loud as she could. "Incoming, get down!"

Nadia and Ms. Nawa looked over from one of the registration tables to see what all the commotion was about.

"Nadia, where is everyone running?" Ms. Nawa said while blinking; looking to her left and right.

"Lita get down!" Bulma screamed as loud as she could.

The Robujin 4.2.2 finished powering its cannon and launched a high speed missle. The rocket sailed through the air, and for some, time seemed to slow to a near stop. Nadia could feel every beat of her heart as she reached desperately for her mother. No matter how fast she tried, she knew she wouldn't be able to pull them both out of the way in time. She closed her eyes and pulled her mother close. Suddenly Nadia slipped off of her feet, and felt a rush of air all around. She heard an explosion and a wave of heat covered her face. She clenched her eyes closed tighter. She could still feel her mother in her arms.

"Oh my goodness!" Bulma yelled.

The sound of Bulma being much closer than she was a moment sooner brought Nadia back to her senses again and she opened her eyes. She was facing the remains of a blown up college registration table, burst into flames almost fifty feet away. She began to breathe normally and felt slightly restricted. Nadia reached down and placed her hand around her waist and felt someone holding her. She slowly turned her head and saw Trunks, crouched over her.

Exhale.

"Are you alright?" Trunks said, looking at Ms. Nawa in one arm, then at Nadia in the other.

"Trunks…" Ms. Nawa said in awe. "Where did you come from?"

Nadia looked at her mother. "You know him?"

Trunks stood up, helping the women to their feet. "I heard shouting and came just in time to pull you out of the way."

Bulma ran over and wrapped her arms around Ms. Nawa. "Lita! Are you two alright? I was scared half to death."

Ms. Nawa, still noticeably shaken, looked at Bulma with a blank expression. "Don't take this the wrong way Bulma, but this isn't part of the curriculum is it?"

A soft voice lulled from behind Bulma. "No. It's my fault," Gigi said, her voice trembling. Mascara streaked down her tear-filled cheeks as she sobbed quietly. "I'm sorry for ruining everything. I'll just go now." This time she carefully pressed another button on her remote control. The crowd gasped as the Robujin transformed from a cannon into a small metallic dog, which trotted towards Gigi, sat down and began wagging its tail. She reached into her pocket and gave it a shiny piece of steel that was shaped like a bone.

Bulma reached out her hand and put it on Gigi's shoulder. "Why don't you go take Robujin inside where we can sit down and talk privately?" Bulma turned to Ms. Nawa. "Lita, I'm really sorry. This was certainly not a planned part of the C4 experience. Please stay? Let me handle this and I'll be back."

"I'm sorry to everyone," Bulma said loudly, targeting the surrounding crowd. "Please don't be alarmed. Tours will resume in ten minutes, please have some refreshments in the mean time." She pressed a button on her watch, and an entourage of robotic helpers began quickly assembling a lunch table, while a small team of other robots began removing debris from the explosion.

Gigi patted her cheeks with her sleeve as she turned and walked towards the dormitory with Bulma.

"Nadia, are you alright?" Ms. Nawa turned to her daughter; touching her, arms, back and shoulders.

Nadia couldn't even hear her mother speaking. She looked at Trunks with a gaze of puzzled admiration.

"Have we met?" She said to Trunks.

Trunks stopped and looked at her. His heart jumped hard. A small flood of memories came rushing back, causing the skin of his cheeks to get warm.

"Outside of The Pretty Fish?" Trunks said.

"I remember." Nadia's disposition became a bit more relaxed. "H-how have you been?"

"Good. Thank you." Trunks gulped as quietly as he could. "You must be Nadia then?"

"Yes," she scrunched her eyebrows. "But how did you know that?"

"Your mother told me you were coming into town. I didn't realize you would be attending class here. You're a dancer, right?" Trunks said.

Nadia gave her mother a piercing glance. "Shocker, huh? It came as a bit of a surprise to me too." She looked back at him. "So this isn't really fair; you seem to know me and my mom but I don't have a clue as to who you are."

"Oh. I'm sorry. My name is Trunks Brief."

Nadia quirked another look at her mother who was avoiding eye contact.

"Is that so, Trunks Brief? I find it funny that my mom never mentioned you."

"He just never came up in conversation, dear." Ms. Nawa added quietly. "When did you two meet exactly?"

Nadia crossed her arms and smiled.

"We just so happened to bump into each other, literally, when I was on my way back from buying your two piece bathing suit."

"What are the odds?" Ms. Nawa said with a blush.

Nadia held up a finger towards Trunks. "Would you excuse us for a minute?" She grabbed her mother and started walking away briskly.

Trunks stood by speechlessly. Although his heart rate was returning to normal, he knew there was something special about her. He replayed their initial meeting over again in his head. He didn't remember her being quite as striking. Definitely a pretty girl. He remembering being a bit embarrassed that he was carrying a bathing suit, but something was different in her today. He could feel her Ki had a strange familiarity to it; more than any girl he had ever met. The way he felt when she spoke, when she walked and when she showed her emotions was intriguing to him.

Nadia quickly slipped out of earshot, spun her mother around and looked her straight in the eyes.

"Talk to me now. I don't have time to play games anymore today or this week or this summer. What's been going on?"

Ms. Nawa felt like she was being crushed between a rock and a hard place. She knew their plan was in utter shambles and guilt deluged her in waves. Bulma's admonishing voice echoed through her head, making her decision to speak even more difficult. She cleared her throat and took a deep breath.

"Trunks has been coming to the grocery to visit me for the past few years. He's not just a really nice boy, he's my friend." She sighed in mixed relief and regret. "Now that you know, are you going to avoid him completely?"

"Are you kidding?" She trilled. "Mom, if I knew your taste in men had evolved, I would have let you start playing matchmaker for me a long time ago."

"Really?" Ms. Nawa said, not trying to conceal her adulation. "I mean, you like him?"

"Shhh!" she covered her mother's mouth with both hands, looking behind her at Trunks. "Please try and be cool, mom." She lowered her hands and spoke softer. "There's just something about him I can't quite understand. I'm not the type of girl to rush into things. I mean, I'm far too disciplined to fall in love at first sight." She paused, pressing her hands on her chest. "But I want to figure out what exactly it is I'm feeling right now, because I don't want it to go away."


	12. Chapter 12: Reunion

**Chapter 12: Reunion**

Gigi sat in Bulma's office with her ankles crossed. Her head was tilted towards the floor and her fingers were laced together, both hands folded in her lap. She sniffled softly as Bulma spoke to her.

"Let me start by saying that you are clearly a very talented girl." Bulma's voice echoed through the small room as she spoke.

Tears began to roll down Gigi's cheeks. "No I'm not. You wouldn't have ever made a dumb mistake like that." She sobbed.

Bulma raised an eyebrow. "You flatter me, really-but I'm serious. I think you're probably the most talented person here today." Her voice became lower. "But you are also the only person here who endangered the lives of others."

Gigi lifted her head and began wiping her tears away. "Y-yes Miss Bulma." They both stayed quiet. A lone clock ticking was the only sound in the room.

"If you are going to be my protégé, you need to listen very carefully to what I'm about to say."

A gigantic smile instantly crept through the intermittent sobs. She nodded her head agreeing as solemnly as she could.

"First thing: You must de-weaponize Robujin. No exceptions."

"Yes!" She replied enthusiastically.

"Second thing: You must work hard and take responsibility for your actions without suffering through emotional outbursts."

"Yes!" She again replied.

Bulma smiled and handed her a "CCCC" T-shirt. "Welcome to C4."

* * *

Daku and Kolato walked out of the Capsule building and met Trunks on the terrace, moving discreetly.

"Master," Daku said. "We felt an explosion. Is everything alright?" He looked at the remains of the registration table. The crew of robots had just finished the removal and dropped a fresh capsule, replacing the registration table with a loud BAMPH!

Trunks pulled the boys in close. "Everything is under control. How is the training?"

"We are getting much stronger! Maybe we should turn the gravity up," Kolato said with excitement.

"In time, but for now be patient. I want you to master this gravity level and then we'll move onto the next phase of our training." He turned to look at Nadia and Ms. Nawa, who still appeared to be deep in conversation. "I may need to lay low for awhile. I was forced to display a bit more of my true power than I'm comfortable with. I'm going to have to continue your training remotely until further notice."

Both boys nodded. "We understand," they said in unison.

Trunks grabbed them both by the shoulders and smiled. "Train for six hours total today and stop. I want you to balance training with getting enough sleep and spending time with your people."

They headed back into the building with renewed confidence and disappeared from sight.

Trunks gathered his thoughts and started walking over to Nadia and Ms. Nawa. Before he got within ten feet, both women stopped talking and swiftly turned to face Trunks. It was so quiet that Trunks could hear the birds chirping in the plush green tree overhead.

"Trunks!" Ms Nawa said. She squinted, almost blinded by a bright ray of sunlight.

"I just wanted to check on you two." Trunks said softly.

"So Trunks," Nadia said as she slowly began walking around him in a circle. "You wouldn't happen to be free to give us a tour of the facility, would you?" She stopped behind him.

Trunks turned around, facing Nadia. "Absolutely. I know my way around, afterall."

Ms. Nawa took afew steps backwards, distancing herself from the two of them.

"You both go along without me!" Ms. Nawa said.

Nadia rushed over to her mother and poked her in the ribs. "But mother, you and Trunks are such good friends, why not have him give us _both_ a tour?"

Ms. Nawa playfully shoved Nadia towards Trunks. "Nonsense, I told Bulma I would wait for her by the registration table. I have a fair amount of administrative work to do to get your enrollment finished."

Nadia scowled at her mother before turning to Trunks with a subtle smile. "Are you up for a one on one then?"

"Sure- Let's go."

Trunks walked through the halls of Capsule Corp. Community College with Nadia following a half step behind him. Their footsteps echoed through the empty corridor. Up ahead of them other groups could be heard being guided by the automated Tourbots.

"What would you like to see first?" Trunks asked.

"If it's all the same with you I have a few questions. Is that alright?" Nadia said, a hint of curiosity in her voice.

"Okay."

"What do you know about me?" She smiled, crossed her arms across her waist and adjusting the strap of her satchel.

Trunks thought carefully before answering. "Your mother told me you're going to a prestigious dance academy. You're the top of your class from the sound of it."

"That's right." She said confidently. "Do you dance?"

"I don't think so." He chuckled.

"That's hard to believe. You were pretty graceful today."

Trunks stopped breathing and hesitated before answering. "Yeah," He took a deep breathe and exhaled quietly.

"I mean, I've never met anyone faster than I am." As she continued, she walked several paces in front of Trunks and looked into his eyes. "That's what makes my dancing so special; because I move so quickly; but _I _didn't even have time to react." Her walking slowed to a stop. " Somehow you managed to appear and get us clear from danger without us even noticing. It was pretty spectacular."

"It all happened really fast." He replied.

"You're right, it did." She reached forward and grabbed Trunks' arm. "I know that I don't know you yet... or have the right to demand anything." She stopped and composed her thoughts. "But just because what you're saying is true doesn't mean that it explains what happened."

Trunks met her gaze and his heart started racing.

"That's fair. But if you can excuse me I'd rather not talk about it right now.."

"I'd rather hear that than a lie. Good answer." She said as she turned on her heel and walked forward again. "So, are you also going to be a student here?"

"No. I'm actually going to be a teacher." He said.

"Oh yeah? Aren't you like the same age as me?" Nadia said with a grin.

"I think your mom said you're a couple of years older than me."

"Do you like my mom? I mean _like _like my mom?"

Trunks stumbled for a second at the suggestion. He quickly regained his balance and walked straight. "I like your mom as a good friend."

"I'm just kidding… I think." She paused before speaking. "I guess it just seems strange to me that a young man like you would visit my mom so often. I mean, don't you have a bunch of girls your own age chasing after you?"

"No, it's not that. Your mom is a really good listener. I had a lot of things I needed to talk about." Trunks turned and looked at Nadia just in time to see her push a wild tuft of black hair behind her ear. "Is there a reason you haven't visited for such a long time?"

"The life of a dancer," she sighed. "Dancing hasn't left time for family." Nadia suddenly stood on the tips of her toes and squeezed Trunks' arm with both of her hands. "Hey! Do you want to see me dance?"

A droplet of sweat formed on Trunks' head as he froze in place. "N-now?" he stuttered.

Nadia rolled her eyes. "Of course now!" she yelled, excited. "Too impulsive for you? Sorry, I'll slow down a little bit. We can get to that later." Her eyes narrowed and she looked directly at Trunks. "Besides, why should I show you _my_ tricks if you aren't going to show me yours?" she said, pouting sarcastically.

Trunks looked over towards the elevator. "Would you like to see the dorm rooms?"

"Just lead the way." She gestured with both arms in front of her while bowing her head slightly.

They both piled inside the elevator and Nadia leaned against the back wall and ran her fingers through her hair. Trunks stood motionless as the elevator went up. He stared at the closed elevator door; occasionally catching a glimpse of Nadia's reflection in the steel door.

"It's strange, but I feel like I know you." She said. "Have you ever been to North City?"

"No. Not recently."

"Do you feel it too, or am I out on a limb here?" she said. She placed both hands on her hips.

The elevator chimed and opened. Trunks stepped out and Nadia followed.

"I understand what you mean." he said. "I can't quite put it into words. Definitely familiar… but definitely different."

Nadia's eyes widened and her lips burst into a smile. "That's exactly how_ I_ feel. Meeting you is like talking to a long lost friend I've never met before."

"That sounds very poetic," Trunks said with a laugh.

Nadia pushed him playfully. "Don't start with me. I'm not only the fastest dancer; I'm arguably the strongest."

Trunks' wristwatch computer started buzzing and beeping. He lifted his wrist and his eyes scanned over the message. The computer was uploading information about the status of the egg urgently. _Now is not the time_, He thought to himself.

"That's one hell of an alarm you have there, Trunks."

"It's something like that." Trunks dismissed the notification and kept walking. He stopped at one of the dorm rooms and opened the door. Nadia rushed in a second afterwards. The lights automatically clicked on due to the sudden movement.

Nadia stood in the middle of the room with her jaw dropped. She closed her mouth and covered it with both hands. She spun around slowly to get the full panoramic view.

The large dorm room looked more like the penthouse suite of a lavish hotel. All of the surfaces were made of polished steel, with plush rugs strategically placed across the tiled floor. The room also contained a full kitchen and bathroom, with a living area and television suitable for a small group to hang out.

"This is where I'm going to be staying all summer? Wow. Capsule Corp. does make things better—even college." She ran forward and did a swan dive into the king-sized bed, causing the plush blankets to un-tuck and jostle around. Nadia rolled onto her back, arched and stretched, letting out a satisfying grunt. "Wow. I'm the most ungrateful daughter ever. This place is so amazing."

"Your mother forgot to mention that you were coming into town."

"That sure is odd," Nadia batted her eye lashes as she spoke. "Pretty absent minded if you ask me. I'm not sure if that should offend me or not."

Once again Trunks' wristband computer began rumbling, beeping and flashing. He looked at the display again, reading the data more closely.

"Do you need to take care of that? It sounds important."

"Maybe we should head back downstairs and meet up with our mothers." He said.

Trunks and Nadia exited the room and proceeded back towards the elevator.

"I get the feeling you didn't choose to attend school here." Trunks said.

"Well.. no, not really. I'm kind of burnt out on school. I was dreaming of working at the grocery all summer to be honest. Maybe I was being selfish. My mom has worked really hard to get us both where we are now."

They both headed back down through the elevator and walked down the empty corridor. They pushed the doors open to the terrace. Trunks could see that the large crowd had mostly dispersed. The only ones remaining were a handful of Natamoru in human disguises and some small groups of actual humans who had passed the entrance exam. Ms. Nawa and Bulma were sitting at a table in the midst of the courtyard, drinking some iced tea.

Nadia ran towards her mom until she came skidding to a halt in front of the table. Trunks walked up slowly after her.

"Mom, you were right. This place is totally awesome. Forgive me for my stubbornness?"

Ms. Nawa looked amazed. Clearly still a bit shaken up from the events of the day, she slowly responded. "Good dear. I'm glad to hear it." She looked at Trunks as he arrived at Nadia's side. "Trunks. I'm glad to finally introduce you to my Nadia. Did you two have fun?"

"Yes. We mostly talked-"

"Like mother like daughter I guess," Nadia interjected.

Once more Trunks' wristwatch began sounding an alarm, a bit more urgent and flashing than the previous one. This time Trunks paid more attention.

"Trunks, what is it?" Bulma said as she set down her drink and began to stand.

"Now I really have to go." He turned, running towards the door to Capsule Corp.

"What's going on?!" Bulma yelled.

"I'll meet you later!" he said, dashing away.

But before she could answer him, he was in the building, heading for the Kami Egg. His feet pounded the metal floors so fast that they barely sounded audible. In mere seconds, Trunks had made it to the central mainframe room where the egg was being incubated. He dismissed an alert on the computer and walked towards the glass. His eyes widened and his skin turned pale as he arrived just In time to see the egg crack. The pale green egg was surrounded by a white aura, with new cracks forming every second.

This was it. The moment he had been waiting for had come sooner than he could imagined. The room filled with a blinding white light, so bright that Trunks was forced to shield his eyes from the flash. And in the blindness he heard the sound of an egg hatch.

* * *

Gem stood with her back against the large tree in the center of the terrace. She watched Nadia and Ms. Nawa as they sat and talked with Bulma. Bell paced nervously around her with her right hand holding onto her left wrist.

_Trunks won't like us anymore. Not after her_, Bell thought desperately.

_You're being immature again. This doesn't mean anything. You know that Trunks likes us for who we each are_, she thought in reply.

Bell's thoughts became more and more agitated as she continued to pace. _But how can we even compete? We're in a completely different league. We're from a completely different planet._

Gem held out her arm and stopped her sister's frantic movements. _Keep it together Bells. We aren't strangers to competition for Trunks' affection. I say if she wants to challenge us, bring it on_.

A small flock of birds flew abruptly from the tree behind them. Bell stopped in place and looked towards the main Capsule Corp. Building with both ears perked up behind her human disguise. "Did you feel something?"

* * *

Elsewhere on campus, Kara and Mel were walking towards their room, both hands filled with books and literature about the coming semester. Kara paused, dropping the heap of papers into a pile on the ground. Pencils clattered and rolled to a stop as a few loose leave sheets of paper slowly floated to the floor. She pressed her fingers on the sides of her head and closed her eyes.

Mel ran her hand through the long black hair of Kara's human disguise. "Sis, what is it?"

"I've felt the second sign," she whispered.

She opened her almond brown eyes and looked at Mel.

Mel lowered her hand and took a step back.

"You never told me you felt the _first_ sign. Why?"

Kara lowered her head, sighing. "We've been so distant these last three years, sister. I'm sorry if I've excluded you. I've tried to respect your privacy."

"That's no excuse; Our fate is connected. You should have told me so I could have-"

Kara finished her sentence. "Prepared? I'm telling you now: The stars are aligning and our time is near. Our whole lives have been leading up to this moment: The royal anointing, our capture and our release. I'm not sure where this winding road will lead, but it's time to be ready."

Mel turned away slowly, looking out the window over the emerald green terrace. "That's what I'm afraid of."

Kara walked up behind Mel, embracing her gently. "I know you've grown fond of our individuality, but we were born as one and the time is coming when we will be rejoined as one."

* * *

Daku and Kolato had both paused their training completely in sync with each other.

"Did you feel that?" said Kolato, sweat coating his face and chest.

"Trunks…" Daku panted, straining for breathe. He closed his eyes, focusing his mind before reopening them. "Something happened with that egg."

The boys disabled the gravity bands and headed out the door. They made their way to the computer room where Trunks had been spending so much time recently.

They arrived to find the door wide open and the room empty. The computer whirred and beeped every few seconds, printing out a long strand of paper into a bunch on the floor. Daku and Kolato stepped into the room and pressed their hands on the glass.

"What does it mean, Kolato?"

"It was empty after all." he answered.

Daku turned around, looking at the open door. "Then where did Trunks go?"

Kolato closed his eyes and focused. He exhaled in frustration, clenching his eyes tightly before opening them. "Too far to know for sure." His gaze returned to the shattered remains of the eggshell scattered inside the incubation chamber.

* * *

The wind rushed wildly through Trunks' hair as he sped towards Mount Paozu. Trunks hadn't flown that fast since he left the Kami's lookout to route Imperfect Cell after he finished his training in the Spirit room. Every time his heart beat; his speed increased. His whole body coursed with energy. It was as if a veil had been lifted from his mind and all the pieces of a shrouded puzzle were fitting into place.

"How did I go so long without knowing!?" He yelled, boosting himself forward even faster.

The mountain range quickly came into view, and he began slowing down which created a large sonic boom throughout the sky. A spark snapped in front of his face. This time he locked onto the strange Ki and descended into the forest surrounding the mountains. His feet touched the ground quietly.

"I know you're here Piccolo. Stop hiding and show yourself!" he called out.

A moment of silence passed before a rustling sound came from the trees, and in a burst of twigs and leaves; a thin, green man wearing baggy, white pants and a round, white scarf jumped out and landed on one knee in the clearing.

"Impossible. You're alive." Trunks said, gasping with astonishment.

The Namekian man stood tall "How do you know _that_ name?" he said.

The voice was unlike the Piccolo that Trunks remembered, yet still it had similarities. Trunks stepped forward and the Namekian dashed back, readying himself in a fighting stance with both hands crossed at the wrist, fingers pointed outwards.

"You _are _Piccolo; or at least you are what's left of Piccolo."

The Namekian warrior relaxed his stance, lowering his hands to his waist as he teetered slightly.

"My name… is Nail." He replied.

"My name is Trunks Brief. You don't know me, but I know about your…father. Kami brought me to you." Trunks pointed his finger at Nail. "I felt his energy unite with you."

"I don't know what…" he clutched the sides of his head suddenly, yelping in pain and interrupting his train of thought. When the episode passed, he lost his step; regaining his balance by holding onto a nearby branch. He looked towards Trunks with trembling eyelids. "Brief," he pointed a shaking finger at Trunks. "Capsule?"

"Yes. I can help you." Trunks reached out his hand.

Nail reached forward and his eyes shut as he collapsed to the ground.

Trunks rushed forward, sliding in front of the Namekian and placing his hands on Nail's chest. "I don't know what's happening to you, but just hold on." He surveyed the area. He knew it was only a mile to Chi-Chi's house, but he didn't want to suffer the dinner-side conversation about why even though Piccolo/Kami is still alive; everyone she ever loved is dead. Trunks hoisted Nail onto his back, and began a slightly slower return flight to Capsule Corp.

Trunks recalled the hatching of the egg again in his mind. When Kami's Ki left the egg and merged with something in the mountains, for a brilliant second, Trunks was certain that he was sensing Piccolo.

The Namekian's body was wracked with sudden shivers and spasms. Trunks began to fly more cautiously just in case. Trunks lifted his wrist watch and made a familiar call.

* * *

Bulma was pacing the terrace of Capsule Corp when her wrist watch began to beep. She quickly accepted the call, sprinting out of earshot of Nadia and Ms. Nawa. When the call connected she saw Trunks, carrying something she could barely make out.

"Trunks, I saw the egg—what's left of it. Are you going to give me a heads up on anything that's going on around here?" she said in a stern whisper.

"It's Piccolo mom—I found Piccolo. There must have been a second egg that hatched years ago. He was in the mountains where Goku and Chi-Chi lived, surviving in the wild. He thinks his name is Nail. Anyways, he started having some kind of strange reaction to Kami's energy when it was released."

Bulma sat down and covered her heart.

"Piccolo…" after a moment of silence she shook her head, coming back to reality. "He's having a reaction? What can I do to help?"

"I'm not sure we can, but it would be nice to have a bed ready for him when I get there. Your personal knowledge about Namekians would be a big help. I'm almost home now."

The transmission ended abruptly.

Bulma stood up and walked over to Nadia and Ms. Nawa. They were both gathering their things, getting ready to leave.

"I'm sorry we've been such terrible hosts, Lita. I thought we would have so much fun today."

Nadia yawned, stretched her arms and itching her side. "Believe it or not, I'm all funned out." she said.

Ms. Nawa put her hand on Nadia's arm. "I called a taxi for us sweetie." She handed Nadia her purse. "They should be waiting for us outside. You go ahead, I need to talk to Bulma for a minute."

Nadia grabbed her own satchel and waved to Bulma. "It was nice meeting you Bulma. I'm really looking forward to starting classes."

"I'm glad to hear that Nadia! Classes start Thursday; move in begins this Monday."

Nadia walked away towards the exit and disappeared from sight.

Ms. Nawa looked at Bulma and her eyes filled with joy. "I don't know what happened Bulma, but she really likes him. Is this fate or just the result of scheming?" Ms. Nawa twirled in a circle and cheered.

"Maybe both." Bulma said quietly.

Ms Nawa lowered her arms and stopped celebrating. "Is everything okay? Aren't you happy that our plan worked?" she said.

Bulma shook her head. "No, no… I'm very happy, it's not that. It's been a rollercoaster day. More than anything I'm glad you didn't get blown up. That would have completely ruined my day." She said while reaching forward and giving Ms. Nawa a hug.

"Thank you Bulma." Ms Nawa said with tears escaping her eyes.

The two women said their goodbyes and headed their separate ways. Ms. Nawa would return to the grocery with Nadia and Bulma would head inside to get prepared for Trunks' imminent arrival.


	13. Chapter 13: The Citadel

**Chapter 13: The Citadel**

As the sun began to set in the summer sky, Trunks descended onto the roof of Capsule Corp., still carrying the unconscious Namekian. He could see Kara and Mel were waiting for him. They patiently held open the door leading inside.

He walked towards them while carefully readjusting his passenger. "Thanks for the welcome committee," he said politely. "Where's my mom?"

"She prepared a room on the fifth floor," Kara said. "I had a feeling you might arrive here."

"We both did, actually." Mel said with a grin. "Thought you might want to avoid a spectacular entrance."

The three of them entered the building and made their way to the fifth floor. Bulma had just finished converting a typically furnished dormitory into a state of the art hospital room. When she turned and saw Trunks, she immediately made room and began readying the IV.

"Normal medicine doesn't work on Namekians the way you might expect Trunks. All we can do is give him fluids, regulate his temperature and make sure he's comfortable," Bulma said while unraveling a long plastic tube. "How has he been?"

"He's been getting worse steadily," Trunks paused as he lowered the body onto the bed. "I'm not sure what's going on but he's in some kind of coma."

Kara took a quick breath and walked towards the bed. She held her hand inches above the patient's forehead. "I think we might be able to help," she said.

"My sister is right," Mel added. "If he's in a coma, it may be possible for us to enter his mind. There's a chance our interactions can improve his physical condition if he's having mental issues."

Trunks looked at the girls. "Is there any danger involved?"

Kara looked at Mel and then avoided eye contact with Trunks. "Depending on how violent the inner turmoil is, there could be risks."

"What kind of risks are we talking about?" Trunks asked.

Mel stepped towards Trunks and took his hand. "Let me explain," she said.

Images began filling Trunks' mind as Mel spoke, weaving a dream while they were wide awake. He saw a large stone tower, standing in a dark void.

"Think of his coma as a mental fortress. Even he is a prisoner right now," as she spoke the picture changed. Now Trunks could see Kara, Mel and himself entering the tower. As soon as they did, the doors locked, and the stones swelled. "If we are not successful in breaking him free..."

"Then we'll be stuck in his dream." Trunks said.

"Or nightmare." Kara said seriously.

Bulma ran across the room and stood in front of Trunks. "What else is there to think about? The answer is no. Stop thinking about it."

"But mother..."

"Don't 'but mother' me. I'm not going to lose you like this. Let's see if he pulls through on his own first. It'll give us time to talk over our options." Bulma said

"You must consider that the sooner we act, the better our chances are. The longer he remains, the deeper into his mind he goes," Kara said.

"Trunks, please don't act so hastily," his mother pleaded.

"We have to do something. I'm sorry mom. I don't mean to worry you, but this has to happen."

Mel touched her hand on Bulma's back. "It will be okay. My sister and I are the strongest dreamers of the Natamoru. We will _not_ be losing."

Bulma sighed, looking at Mel. "Just make sure you're right about that," she said. Bulma reached into her pocket and grabbed a disguise wristband. She clicked it into place on the Namekian, changing his appearance to that of a bald, muscular man with tan skin. She looked at Trunks, smiling warmly. "I believe in you son. Save Piccolo."

Trunks nodded. "Right."

He looked at the two sisters. "How do we begin?"

Kara and Mel walked towards a couch in the corner of the room and sat down, motioning for Trunks to join them.

Once seated together, Kara and Mel linked hands with each other and Trunks.

"Close your eyes." Kara whispered. "Try and relax."

Trunks closed his eyes and focused on his breathing. He could hear Mel counting.

"Ten...nine...eight..." her voice became gradually quieter."Seven...six...five..." Her voice sounded distant. "four...three...two," there was a short delay before her voice returned, with crystal clarity. "One."

When Trunks opened his eyes, Kara and Mel were both standing, with their disguises disabled. Their outfits were completely different. They were both wearing bright red gowns, Kara had no sleeves with a long skirt and Mel had long, baggy sleeves with a short skirt. Their hair was red, not blue, and flowing freely, as if enchanted by wind that couldn't be felt.

"We've arrived," Kara said. She pointed into the distance. "And that is where we're going."

Beyond her finger was a massive black tower, where dark roots had broken through the shadowy stones and were plunged into the ground. A large steel door protruded from the base of the fortress.

Trunks turned, floating towards the tower. "How do we get in?"

Mel sped to his side. "That's our first challenge," she answered, her voice echoing sweetly. "You know this person well, Trunks?"

"Well enough," he said.

Kara stopped them before getting too close. "It might help to remind him of something from his past. If he feels vulnerable we'll be able to make it inside."

Trunks took two steps in front of his companions. "Piccolo, I want to talk to you about Gohan," his voice resounded through the air, echoing many times, each time the sound of the echo distorted and changed until it was a just a reverberation.

The tower began to rumble and the black roots shifted and bent, loosening their grip on the ethereal foundation. The doors creaked, and bits of dust settled to the ground as the iron entrance swung open. A dark black fog rolled out of the entrance, dissipating when it reached Mel, Kara and Trunks.

"That worked." Mel said enthusiastically. "Great work Trunks."

Kara brushed by her sister, taking the lead. She extended her hands in front of her chest, forming a scarlet ball of celestial energy. The glowing orb floated away from her and into the citadel, illuminating the way.

"We stay as close together as we can. Do not separate," Kara warned.

The three of them journeyed cautiously through the open door, entering the tower. The interior was jet black. A haze of red covered every surface of the room. A Namekian man was curled in a ball on the floor. His clothes were tattered and his body was severely beaten.

Trunks rushed towards him, crouching at his side. He grabbed the alien's shoulder, rolling him onto his back.

The Namekian groaned, as if coming to his senses. His eyes flickered before slowly opening and focusing on Trunks. He reached his hand up, grabbing onto Trunks' wrist. Both Trunks and the Namekian's eyes glowed white. Suddenly the scenery changed from the polished, jet dungeon with crimson hues to a field of blue grass with green skies. Large, mountainous cliffs overlooked a crystal green ocean. Although the scenery changed, the Namekian's injuries did not.

Piccolo stood towering over Nail. "Your life is fading." he said.

"You must be the Namekian the earthlings spoke of." Nail smiled. "So their wish has been granted after all." he stopped to cough.

"You seem to know a lot about what's going on. Then you must know I'm short on time; I have to go help those brats right now. You must excuse me for leaving you here to die." Piccolo turned away.

"Amazing... I don't know how, but you managed to gain extraordinary power. It's a pity though..."

Piccolo raised an eyebrow. "Hm?" Piccolo peered over his shoulder at the wounded warrior.

"If you had returned as a single, complete Namekian...maybe you would have been able to beat Frieza."

"You're saying that if I would have merged with Kami, only then I would have been able to match Frieza's power?"

"That's right. I may not have been a match for Frieza, but I know his power well."

"No use arguing over it now." Piccolo scoffed. "At any rate, I have no intention of ever reuniting with him."

The Namekian coughed profusely before stopping. "Unite with me. I'm the last true warrior left on Namek."

"What? With you?"

"That's right. You'll become several times stronger."

Piccolo shook his head. "Thanks for the offer, but I'd rather be me. I don't want to combine my individuality with yours."

The Namekian turned his head, grimacing in pain. "So proud... but you must hurry. There's no time, my end approaches. Place your hand on my body, quickly!" he gasped. "Your individuality will still be yours, I will be a part of you and what I know will serve you. I offer this opportunity freely."

"How do I know you aren't lying," he said cautiously.

"Suit yourself, if you would prefer to go and get killed by Frieza."

Piccolo turned back around, crouching over the Namekian. "You make a good argument. I'll give this a try. But if I don't like it, you're gone. Understand?"

"How shameful... to be so rude when I'm offering you such an amazing gift out of kindness."

"Enough talking, let's get this over with." Piccolo placed his hand on the Namekian's chest.

The two beings were clasped together in a rapture of light that spread quickly and filled the entire scene. Then, in a flash, Trunks was on his back and gasping for air. Kara and Mel swooped to his side, tending to him.

Mel placed his head in her lap. "What did you see?" she asked, pushing a strand of purple hair away from his eye with her fingertips.

"It was a memory. I saw the whole thing through Piccolo's eyes," he said.

Mel closed her eyes, scanning Trunks' thoughts for glimpses of the memory. "It's more than a memory-it's a clue," she replied.

Kara walked over to the ethereal red orb hovering dormant over the first in a series of black stairs winding up the interior of the tower. When she was within inches, the red orb moved on farther up, causing the crimson glow to diminish in the first chamber. "We must not delay," she insisted. "Trunks, stay behind me."

Trunks started walking up the seemingly endless staircase with Kara leading the way and Mel following closely behind. For the first time he felt like he was the one who needed protection. The stairs continued to twist and curve upwards. Over and over again; step after step they went without word or complaint. Looking up or down peered only into darkness, and so they proceeded anyways.

After travelling for what seemed like hours without finding anything, the red light finally revealed the entrance to a new chamber. The wooden door pulsed with red light as the celestial orb came to a stop and floated eerily. Kara reached her hand out, inspecting seven circular grooves in the door.

"There is no key and there is no handle. Do you know what these markings mean Trunks?"

Trunks stepped forward, looking at the grooves. "These were meant to hold the Dragonballs. I'm sure of it."

Mel put one hand on Trunks' shoulder and the other hand on the door. "Do you know what the Dragonballs look like?"

"Yes," he said.

Kara put her hand on Trunks' other shoulder and placed her remaining hand on the door as well. "Hold out your hands and imagine them."

Extending his arms, Trunks cupped his hands together. Both Mel and Kara flowed with red energy that slowly travelled into Trunks through his shoulders. Like a thousand feathers and needles, the energy surged into his arms, pausing at his elbows. Another burst and the energy found its way into his wrists. His hands became warm and crackled with red electricity. A vortex of light swirled and started to take form in the shape of a ball, red at first but quickly fading to orange. With a quick flash, Trunks was holding the one-star Dragonball.

"Amazing," he said. Trunks lifted the orb and slid it into place on the door. A channel of energy spider-webbed from the Dragonball in the center of the door and extended to the frame.

One after another, they brought the dream world Dragonballs into existence through the power of their combined will and imagination. When Trunks held the final Dragonball in his hand, the door looked like an electrical circuit teeming with power. Trunks reach forward, inserting the last Dragonball into the final groove. Once more, energy raced from the center to the edges of the doorframe. White, brilliant light began pouring out of each crack. The entire door became consumed and shined so brightly that the red orb could no longer be seen. When they opened their eyes again, everything within the tower was more visible than before.

"Mel...the third sign." Kara whispered.

Within the room standing alone was a tall wooden staff with a gnarly top.

"Kami's walking stick." Trunks said, walking into the room. He could hear Mel and Kara trying to say something as he entered, but their voices were drowned out by the deafening sound of the light, so bright that it opened his eyes wider than they had ever been. Now, the staff was being held by Kami who stood at the edge of the lookout. Piccolo brushed right past Trunks, his cape billowing in the wind.

"Kami," he snarled. "How long are you going to let this world die before you actually decide to do something?"

Kami stood silently, gripping his staff.

"I'm not thrilled to come begging you for co-operation, but I'm shocked that you have such little concern about the fate of this planet."

"I will not merge with you, Piccolo. Not yet."

Piccolo's eyes bulged and a vein popped out of his forehead. "You're an impossible fool." He turned his back on Kami.

"I had great hope for you Piccolo. That one day we would reunite. But I fear that when Goku died, so did my hope for you."

"This isn't about your hope anymore. This world _will_ die. You are going to stand by and watch the Androids destroy everything without so much as lifting a finger!" He screamed.

"The Androids are not nearly as fearsome as you will be once you've lost the only thing you have left to hold onto...if we recombine."

Piccolo crossed his arms and began walking away. "When I'm gone... you can go to hell for all I care. I'll never share my body with you. If it's the last thing I do."

His hate stricken vow echoed through the memory, bringing Trunks back to the empty chamber with the old, walking staff.

"Trunks, what happened?" Mel said, rushing towards him.

"Whatever you just did, it helped tremendously. The air feels lighter now."

"I know why this is happening- and I know what has to be done. Piccolo blames Kami for letting them die... and he blames himself for abandoning Gohan," the tower trembled as Trunks finished his statement. He spun around, clenching his fists.

"Show yourself Piccolo!" He yelled. "I know you're here. You've been watching the whole time."

Trunks' voice shook the tower even more. The rumbling caused the girls to hold onto each other for balance.

A black mist seeped through the cracks in the walls and gathered into the center of the room. Trunks took a step backwards as the mass began to take the shape of a man. A voice came from the mist and growled, "That's_ King_ Piccolo." When the shadow had completely taken form, the tall Namekian stood, wearing his regal purple dogi with glowing red eyes, laughing quietly.

"You haven't been 'King' Piccolo for a long time. But you sure are acting like him. Keeping Nail and Kami prisoner inside."

"Sounds like the tables are finally turned for Kami." He laughed.

"But I know that you're keeping Piccolo prisoner, too. Bound with unforgiveness."

"And what if I make you all my prisoners? This kingdom has everything I need, but I could use three more servants."

"You let me in because you wanted to talk about Gohan."

King Piccolo's eyes widened. "I did no such think. The son of my enemy was nothing but a pawn."

"I've seen enough of your memories." Trunks lunged forward, and grabbed Piccolo. Brilliant white light enveloped them both, emanating from Trunks.

"What is this?!" Piccolo struggled to get free, but Trunks held tightly.

When the light had faded, an adolescent Trunks sat on the edge of a bed, crying. Gohan stood near a large bay window, looking out into West City.

"Gohan, why are the Androids doing this?" he wept. "I can't take this; I can't let them get away with this!"

Gohan stood silently.

Young Trunks turned to Gohan, both fists clutching the sheets on the bed. "I want to get stronger; strong enough to beat them! Gohan, please train me!" Trunks sniffled, wiping his nose. "I can't just sit here doing nothing; I have my Dad's blood- the blood of a warrior race running through me." Trunks stood, becoming indignant. "Gohan!"

"You remind me a lot of when I was younger." Gohan replied. "No matter what my mom did to stop me, I felt like I had to train, over and over." He looked sternly at Trunks. "Trunks, the Androids are incredibly powerful."

"Yes... but I'll do my best!"

"I know you will." Gohan smiled and the scene swirled and changed. Now Gohan and Trunks stood on a mountain plateau. Young Trunks was raising his power level, causing wind to swirl around him, sending dust and pebbles flying.

"Get angry! You've got to get much angrier than that!" Gohan yelled.

Trunks grit his teeth, screaming until he fell to his knees, exhausted. The aura of energy around him faded in an instant. "Damn. While we're up here doing this, who knows where those monsters are... why the hell can't I become a Super Saiyan?!" he cursed. Trunks stood up and followed Gohan to the edge of the cliff where they were training. They both sat down and rested.

"Just a little further, Trunks." Gohan said with a smile. "It was really hard for me, too. Becoming a Super Saiyan is just a matter of becoming angry enough." He looked towards the horizon. "I thought about how Piccolo and Krillin and everyone were killed by the Androids. As I really let that sink in, it finally happened: I became a Super Saiyan." He reached towards Trunks with his remaining arm and placed his hand on his shoulder. "You've got Vegeta's blood flowing through you! It's only a matter of time before you become a Super Saiyan. I'm certain of it!"

The memory was washed out with another wave of brilliant light, before the scene changed once more. The Young Trunks walked slowly through the pouring rain in a destroyed city. Each footstep fell heavier than the last as he approached the body of Gohan. It was night.

"Gohan..." Trunks spoke softly, rain and tears dripping down his face. "...this can't be happening. Gohan!" Trunks grabbed the body of his friend, cradling him. "Gohan!" Through the tears and screaming, a burst of golden energy erupted from Trunks' body, filling the entire scene until it washed out again.

When the light faded, a now fully grown Trunks was standing across from Android 17, whose dead blue eyes looked devastated.

"Impossible... how could 18 be destroyed by you?" he said with empty words.

"That was for all of my friends you killed." Trunks said, clutching his fists. "Let that feeling sink in, if you can feel anything at all." Trunks rushed forward, kicking Android 17 with an unimaginable magnitude, causing him to bounce on the concrete and slide to a stop.

Trunks jumped into the air and cocked his hand back. "It's over now!" He thrust his palm forward, shooting a stream of ki towards the downed Android, blasting him into pieces with a magnificent explosion. The light of the explosion grew again until he took them out of the memory and back into the chamber.

Piccolo swiped his arm away from Trunks and took a step back, gasping. "I don't know what you're trying to prove... those memories mean nothing!"

"Piccolo... you trained Gohan, and Gohan trained me. His sacrifice made me stronger, just like your death made him stronger. But I killed the Androids and avenged everyone: You, Gohan, my Father."

"You can't- You can't prove anything," he stammered, back stepping.

The room was flooded with white light again. This time, Piccolo stood in front of Gohan at the top of Kami's lookout. Gohan was wearing torn and damaged Saiyan armor. His hair stood up in golden spikes, and his green eyes sparkled gently. Although he was a Super Saiyan, he acted completely natural.

"Mr. Piccolo...I would like some new clothes, too." He said with a smile. "_Your_ clothes."

Piccolo laughed under his breathe. "Very well. I'll give you a handsome outfit to fight in." Piccolo raised his hand in front of Gohan, materializing a new set of clothes onto the boy. Young Gohan stood amazed, admiring the purple body suit, red sash and brown slippers. The outfit was made complete with the addition of a flowing white cloak. He clenched his hands into fists and looked back at Piccolo, who looked like a taller, greener reflection of himself.

"Thank you Mr. Piccolo." His voice echoed, trailing off and the scene went dark.

When the chamber became visible, they could see Piccolo kneeling with both hands pressed against the ground. Black mist was seeping out of his mouth as he breathed. The room had formed two additional doors, which glowed with white light and opened. Kami and Nail each stepped out of opposite doors.

"Piccolo," Kami said, walking forward with the aid of his staff.

"I... I..." Piccolo gasped for air, as the last of the black mist exited his mouth and dissipated into the ground. "I was his friend."

"We know," Nail said, walking towards Piccolo. "I was with you the whole time. That's why we preserved our essence."

"It's time to finish this," Kami reached his hand forward. "You were right years ago, Piccolo. I'm ready to give you control."

Nail also reached his hand towards Piccolo. "Come, brother. Let's go home."

"You're right," Piccolo replied. Without hesitation, the weakened Piccolo raised his head and took both of their hands into his.

Trunks immediately opened his eyes to find himself sitting on a couch in Capsule Corp. again. He could tell without a doubt that he was no longer dreaming. Mel and Kara were blinking slowly as they came to their senses, adjusting to the light of the room. Trunks stood up, turning to look at Piccolo lying in the bed. Bulma was sitting by his side, smiling.

"Trunks, he's going to be okay now." Bulma ran over to Trunks, wrapping him in a hug. "You did it son! You sure are on a winning streak."


	14. Chapter 14: Professor Nail

**Chapter 14: Professor Nail**

The dawn's light entered the courtyard of Capsule Corp., glistening off the morning dew of the artificial terrace. A faint mist slowly faded as the sun began its meteoric rise to greet the day.

Sitting with his legs and arms crossed on the top of the plastered stone wall was Piccolo. His human disguise was fully active, but hid no aspect of himself besides the green skin, pointed ears and antennae. He meditated with his eyes closed, but he remained aware of everything going on around him; from the birds singing in the trees, to the distant sound of water dripping from a leaky hose fifty meters away.

He had sat without moving for over twenty-four hours, and hadn't said a word to anyone since waking up from his coma. Although he remained distant, his mood didn't convey any anger or harshness, only a type of solemn contemplation.

A group of Natamoru kept their distant as they sat on the emerald terrace, marveling at the uniqueness of the new specimen. They sat like zealots, quietly waiting.

Bulma and Trunks stood inside the entrance of the Capsule Corp. building, looking at Piccolo through the glass.

Bulma nibbled on her bottom lip nervously. "How long is he going to be like this?"

"I'll give him all the time he needs. He'll have a lot of catching up to do when he's ready."

Bulma slowly began pacing. "I don't understand how we could have missed this," she said with a worried tone. "Someone should have sensed Piccolo's power."

"Kara explained that he hasn't been Piccolo for a long time. The entire time Kami's ki was stuck inside of the egg, Piccolo was stuck in Nail's subconscious; building his anger inside for over twenty years."

Bulma took a quick breath, looking over at Piccolo. "Poor guy. I can't imagine. Shouldn't Kami have predicted that Piccolo was going to spit out an egg anyways? How did they get themselves into this mess?"

"I'd like to have that answered, too."

As soon as Trunks finished speaking, Piccolo's eyes opened and he turned his glance towards the entrance of Capsule Corp. The Natamoru sitting and watching him all began chattering at the sudden disturbance in his posture.

"Look." Bulma said, pointing towards Piccolo. The Namekian warrior rose suddenly from the wall and jumped down. He walked towards a tree, and sat underneath it in the same cross-legged position. This time his eyes stayed open. He rested his hands on his knees and waited, sizing up the group of Natamoru spectators.

Trunks wasted no time. Stepping out of the building he headed for Piccolo. The Natamoru bystanders inched out-of-the-way as Trunks approached the Namekian, stopping several feet away.

"Good morning, Piccolo."

"Vegeta's son? You're bigger than I remember." Piccolo looked into Trunks' eyes. "Because you seem be be the one in charge now, I have some questions."

Trunks nodded, indifferent to the coldness in Piccolo's voice. "By all means, you ask first."

"I had a dream where Gohan was a Super Saiyan. He asked me for a new set of clothes- but it didn't feel like a dream. You were there with Vegeta and Son Goku also."

"It wasn't a dream. It was a real; a memory from the past."

Piccolo furrowed his eyebrows. "What?" he said, startled by the answer.

"I travelled into the past, where I helped Goku and the others prevent the same destruction that overcame this timeline. Because I warned them in that world, they had three full years to prepare for the arrival of the Androids. Needless to say, the course of events unfolded far differently."

"I see. And what about Gohan?"

"In a surprise twist, he became the hero who saved everyone. And once again, Goku sacrificed his life to protect everyone."

Piccolo turned his face forward, closing his eyes. "Hmph. Is that so?"

Trunks sat down next to Piccolo against the tree where he and Kaeke first spoke. "That's where I became so strong. I'm sure you've already noticed that my power level is higher than anyone you remember during your previous incarnation."

"Proud as Vegeta, too." Picollo's face cracked into a thin smile. "I've noticed. It's true; your power is amazing. You aren't even a Super Saiyan. It's unbelievable."

"I had the luxury of training in the Room of Spirit and Time at Kami's place-for almost two days."

Piccolo's eye twitched. "You Saiyans were always gluttons for punishment. I should stop being surprised by now."

"Piccolo. Finding you is a bittersweet discovery. Afterall, The Dragonballs have been gone for a long time now."

"That's Kami's fault. When he put his life force into an egg, the Dragonballs turned into worthless stones."

"Why did he do that, Piccolo? Your egg could have kept him alive. We would have been able to use the Dragonballs to..."

Piccolo cut him off abruptly. "To do what? Bring the people of earth back to life? So the Androids could have twice the fun killing them again? Trust me; he had his reasons. As much as I would love to disagree with the old man, it seems like his choice preserved the Dragonballs for a time such as this."

Trunks blinked his eyes momentarily in disbelief. "Wait...are you saying you can bring back the Dragonballs?"

Picollo smiled. "Indeed. As a matter of fact, I've already begun looking for my replacement." He stood up, walking towards Capsule Corp., leaving Trunks speechless. "The earth needs a new Guardian now."

* * *

Nadia stood in front of the crowded twin bed, packing her things back into a suitcase. The room was quiet, and she could hear every rivet as she zipped it slowly, doing her best to not snag any fabric. She set the suitcase on the ground, catching a glimpse of herself in the floor to ceiling mirror on the wall. She was wearing a long white T-shirt that went below her hips, which exposed her right shoulder and black Capri leggings. Her wild black hair was tied back in a ponytail, and she wore black eye liner with a subtle amount of blush on her cheeks. She could vividly remember dancing in the same mirror as a child. She thought back to the many lessons taught by her mother as she gazed at her reflection.

"Honey, your taxi is here." Ms. Nawa called from the bottom of the stairs, bringing Nadia into the moment.

Nadia ran down the stairs, sounding like a stampeding elephant. She jumped on her mom, wrapping her in a super sized hug and nearly taking her off her feet. Her suitcase slid down the stairs after her, coming to a stop at her ankles. "I'm going to miss you." She whispered in her ear.

"My goodness. We're going to see each other all summer."

She stepped back, rubbing her hands on Ms. Nawa's arms. "I can't believe it's Monday already. Don't you want to come over and help me move in? It's still early, what am I supposed to do alone all day?"

Ms. Nawa laughed, bending down to pick up Nadia's suitcase. "I'm sure you can handle it."

Nadia reached forward taking the suitcase. "I'm always anxious when getting to know new people. It takes so long for people to accept me for who I am."

"They don't have to understand you. You will know who your real friends are. Besides, Trunks is very nice. Even if he doesn't end up liking you he'll still be nice as a courtesy to me." she started laughing to herself, covering her mouth.

"_Hilarious_." Nadia said morosely.

Ms. Nawa grabbed Nadia by the hand and led her to the taxi. "No more putting it off." She opened the door of the cab, ushering her daughter inside. "Go-go-go."

Nadia turned and took one last look at the Nawa Grocery before sitting in the backseat.

Ms. Nawa ducked her head into the cab, giving Nadia a quick kiss on the cheek before closing the door. She leaned closer to the window and whispered, "Remember: no fighting."

Nadia rolled her eyes and giggled. "Mom, I haven't fought in years."

"I remember," she smiled, brushing her hand across Nadia's cheek. "Just making sure you did too."

* * *

Bulma stood in front of a massive black chalkboard in a discussion style classroom. She walked up a small ladder, putting the finishing chalk strokes to a long and drawn out exposition. She stepped down, placing the chalk behind her ear and dusted the excess chalk off of her hands. She turned around, looking into the empty lecture hall. She could envision the amphitheatre of learning that would commence in only a few short days.

There was a faint knock on the open door. Bulma turned to see Bell as she was lowering her hand to her side.

"Ah, Bell. How can I help you?" Bulma wiped a droplet of sweat off of her brow, smearing chalk on her forehead.

"Hi Bulma." She said, smiling.

"Excited for classes to begin?" Bulma walked towards her desk and began shuffling through some books, putting them in order.

"Students have started arriving. I'm kind of scared."

"You shouldn't be. Those disguise bands are Capsule certified. No one will catch onto your true identity," she said with a wink.

Bell leaned against the wall and nervously started rubbing her forearm. "These people seem so different from you and Trunks."

"Is it that obvious that we're weirdos?" Bulma paused to laugh.

"No, of course not Bulma."

Bulma stood up, walking towards Bell. She stopped directly in front of her and held out her open palm. "Give me your disguise band."

"W-what do you mean?"

"Just for a second, I'll be quick."

Bell looked around apprehensively before removing the band. Her cute, human disguise faded in an instant, once again revealing her pointed ears, light blue skin, hair and eyes.

"This will just take a second." Bulma pulled out a small screw driver and flipped a miniature-sized panel open on the wristband. After making some adjustments, Bulma tossed it back to Bell, who caught it gracefully."Try that now."

Bell clicked the band in place, restoring her disguise moments before a small group of students walked by the room, peaking in.

Bell exhaled a deep breath. "That was too close." Bell began inspecting the wristband, looking for any visible change. "So what did that do?"

"I made it so you can't read anyone's thoughts."

Bell's eyes opened wide in surprise. "What?!"

"Well, it won't completely stop you. You can still choose to read someone's mind; however it will make enough interference that you won't catch every single surface thought around you." Bulma put a hand on Bell's shoulder. "Trust me: The first day of school is going to be stressful enough wondering what everyone is thinking. You don't need the added burden of knowing, too."

"So Trunks told you about that?" Bell said.

"Of course he did. But I knew a little before he did. You Natamoru are very quiet, but I can see when you're having conversations with your eyes." Bulma reached behind Bell, shutting the light off. "If the band doesn't help with your nerves, let me know and I'll change it back."

She nodded, turning to follow Bulma. "Alright." They stepped into the hall and Bulma closed the door behind them with a resounding echo.

Bell's eyes lit up and she instinctively vaulted to her tip toes when she saw Trunks approaching them from the other side of the hallway. She slid both hands into her pockets, pressed her heels back onto the ground and held her breath as he approached.

When Bulma saw Trunks, her eyes got serious. She cupped her hands around her mouth and called out, "Is everything okay?"

He stop within arms reach. "Everything is fine." A small group of chatting girls turned the corner, walking around Trunks and heading down the hallway. He watched until they were out of sight before speaking again "There really are a lot of students walking around the building."

"There should be. When everyone is moved in we'll be at capacity."

Trunks gasped astounded. "W-what did you say?"

"Three-hundred and fifty residents including you, me and our Natamoru friends from the H-90 system here. That's not even counting commuters, either."

"This is insane. How do you expect us to meet this obligation?"

Bulma shook her head and clicked her tongue. "My son of little faith. I already told you: I have it under control." She held her hand up and began counting on her fingers. "I have a full time staff of qualified professors from all over the world. I have a group of resident assistants who are dedicated to keeping the peace among students outside of class. The only thing I need is a happy, handsome Phys. Ed teacher to do what he said he would."

"Wait... what did you just say about H-90?"

Bulma reached into her front pocket, pulling out a small memory card. She held it between her thumb and forefinger and presented it to Trunks. "I've been so busy, I forgot to tell you. I was able to use the data I extracted from the ship to find Planet Natamoru...in addition to my other miraculous acts."

Trunks took the memory card carefully and inserted it into his wristwatch. "This is great news. Thank you mother."

Another group of students came walking down the hallway, this one taking longer to work it's way through. Trunks and Bulma stood silently and Bell rocked back and forth on her feet impatiently. After a long wait, the passing chatter died as the group moved into another part of the building.

"Let's go somewhere else if we're going to talk about business." Bulma whispered.

* * *

"Thank you!" Nadia said, handing the cab driver some zenie. She picked up her suitcase and turned towards the entrance to Capsule Corp. Community College. The taxi sputtered away as she walked through the archway and onto the emerald terrace.

There was a much smaller group occupying the terrace than she remembered from her short visit earlier in the week. Groups of three or four students were scattered here and there, marveling at different aspects of the outdoor facilities. Some of them stopped what they were doing and looked at Nadia.

She tried not to pay them too much attention as she made her way through the courtyard and into the main building. Upon entering, there were even more students loitering but they seemed less interested in her arrival as they talked among themselves. Nadia set her suitcase down and pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket, unfolding it with one hand.

"Room W-1, fourth floor. Ok, there seems to be some kind of map here..." her voice trailed off as she turned the document several directions in an attempt to make sense of it.

With no warning, a small, flying robot grabbed the form out of her hand and inserted the paper into it's chest through a thin slot without hesitation or asking permission for that matter.

"SCANNING...PROCEEDING WITH CHECK IN... FOLLOW ME," the robot announced. It swooped down, picked up her suitcase and began sputtering through the vestibule and into the hallway, dodging and darting past the scattered group of students like tires on an obstacle course.

"Hey! Wait for me." Nadia said as she ran after it, gracefully avoiding collision with the other students. She caught up with the bot half way down the hall and followed it uneventfully to the elevator, and eventually to room W-1 on the fourth floor.

The robot ejected a small plastic name badge with _Nadia Nawa_ printed on it, with a picture of Nadia that must have been captured as she was chasing the robot through the halls. She grabbed the badge, shaking her head with a sigh as she gazed at the terrible photo.

"WELCOME TO YOUR ROOM. HAVE A LOVELY DAY!" The robot tipped his circular tin hat and deposited her suitcase on the ground before sputtering back down the hallway.

Nadia stood for a moment bewildered before tapping her card against the wireless communication panel. The LED above the lock changed from red to green and the door gave a subtle click. She picked up her suitcase and pushed the door open with her free hand.

A thin girl with wavy blonde hair over one eye stood with her hands crossed at the wrist facing the door. She was wearing a frilly pink skirt with black and pink striped tights, pink tech-boots and a pink jacket embroidered with a "C4" logo.

"Hey roomie!" She squeaked in joy. "I've been waiting for you to get here." She closed the short distance between them, grabbed Nadia's suitcase and set it down. "I'm Ginny Gerhart. You can call me Gigi." She extended her hand to Nadia.

"I'm Nadia Nawa." Nadia held up the plastic badge and shook Gigi's hand.

"Your picture looks almost as good as mine." Gigi held up her badge, showing a blurry photo that captured her waist down from behind.

Nadia laughed, a really good deep bellied one. She covered her mouth politely. "I'm so sorry! I'm not trying to be rude. You're right though, that is a good picture."

Gigi giggled. "Hey, do I know you?"

Nadia averted her eyes and grabbed her suitcase. "Yeah, we sort of bumped into each other. I think that your robot dog shot a rocket at me." She walked towards the dorm-style bunk beds.

"Oh!" Gigi gasped. "Wow... how embarrassing." she stopped, twisting her hair with her finger. "I'm still really sorry about that."

"Water under the bridge, Gigi." Nadia waved her hand, clearing the tension from the air with a gesture. "Where is the little guy anyways?" She set her suitcase onto the bottom bunk.

"Robujin? He's undergoing some maintenance; Downgrades and upgrades. Bulma is helping me neuter him, technically speaking."

Nadia looked back and forth between the two beds in the room. "So, which one do you want?"

"Neither." Gigi pointed to the couch covered with a blanket, an open suitcase sat on the ground next to it. "I can't sleep in a bed. You can take your pick or have both if you want."

"Thanks," she said as she began unpacking her things.

Gigi walked over and held out a Capsule Corp. wristband. "Here. It's your personal college companion. It contains all of your class information with an alarm to help you stay on schedule. It even tracks your blood pressure to tell if school is starting to stress you out. I got one too." She held up her wrist, revealing a similar gadget.

Nadia took the wristband, reluctantly putting it on. "Sounds convenient. Not sure how I should feel about all of this technology. It's a bit of a shock to the system."

"I can tutor you if you'd like! I'm awesome at technology. I get a little carried away sometimes, but you can't punish me for being ambitious."

The girls were interrupted by a tune of chimes coming from Gigi's wristwatch. She looked at the display, silencing the notification.

"I have an appointment with the dean in five minutes. You want to go with me?"

"Uh- sure. I guess so."

* * *

Bulma was sitting at her desk with Trunks standing behind her. He looked over her shoulder at the computer screen. The room was dark except for the light coming from the screen.

"As you can see, there are several markers that pinpoint the location of Planet Natamoru. First, we have a large energy signature coming from the ship's weapon. There are only five lifetime occurences of this energy reading in the records. On top of that, this particular reading was the closest in time to when we believe the Natamoru people were taken prisoner. And lastly, the system recognized an increased consumption of water and oxygen shortly after, indicating a surge in the population." Bulma sat back in her chair, tilting her head to look up at Trunks. "There were a few other key variables, but I would bet all the zenie we have based on these facts that _this_ is the right planet."

"I'm sure it is mother. How long would it take us to get there?"

"That depends. Your encounter with those space pirates damaged some of the ship's flight system. If the repairs are a success and I make some modifications, it could be ten or eleven days of travel time."

"Can you start working on the repairs?"

Bulma crossed her arms and began rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "I'm not sure if I should be offended by that question." Bulma began typing in some commands on the computer. The screen flashed a schematic of the alien ship. "Repairs are already under way Mr. Brief. You'll be pleased to know they will be finished around the close of our summer semester here at C4."

"That long? Can it be done any faster?"

Bulma riveted her head to the side, scowling at Trunks. "How about a 'thank you mother' or 'how excellent of you'..."

A droplet of sweat appeared on the back of Trunks head as he held his hands up as a sign of submission. "Of course mother. Forgive me."

Their squabbling was interrupted by three knocks, equally calculated in cadence and force. Bulma regained her composure immediately. "That's right, I have an appointment- Please come in!" Bulma closed the laptop and clapped her hands twice, causing the lights to flicker on.

The door opened and Gigi walked in confidently, followed by Nadia.

Time seemed to stop once again as Trunks and Nadia's eyes met.

"If you two will excuse us, Gigi and I have to discuss some private matters."

Trunks broke the gaze and looked at his mother. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

Bulma rolled her chair forward, interlacing her fingers and resting her hands on the mahogany desk. "I have a private meeting scheduled for the next hour. Would you be kind enough to escort Nadia? I'm sure you two can figure out something to do for sixty minutes." Bulma said with a wink.

Nadia bit her tongue at the comment. She turned towards the door before anyone could noticed her cheeks blushing red. "Come on Trunks."

"Oh- okay." Trunks said as he followed, closing the door to the office on his way out.

Bulma flattened her palms on the surface of the desk. "Please, have a seat."

"Yes!" Gigi responded obediently and took her seat.

"I like the seriousness of your composure. It shows me an investment of a great deal of personal effort. That along with your talent will take you far." Bulma picked up a manila folder, fanning it open and flicking through the documents inside. "Ginny Gerheart: Not much information about you on the grid. Quite a mysterious young woman, aren't you?"

"Yes, ma'am. I suppose I am." She brushed the long curtain of blonde waves away from her eye, exposing it for a split second, before gravity returned her hair to it's previous position.

"So, where are mister and misses Gerheart?" Bulma closed the file, setting it down in front of her.

"Regretfully my parents have both departed for the afterlife."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Gigi." Bulma smiled warmly. "Who takes care of you now then?"

"Robujin and I take care of each other."

"But how do you provide for yourself?"

"We do what we can to survive, ma'am. Scavenging took care of all of our needs up until the...until the rebuilding began."

"I see. You are very resourceful, aren't you?"

"Yes ma'am, very."

"I've been working on Robujin today. I must say, I'm very impressed with the quality of the science involved in his composition. It's hard to believe that you lacked access to a proper lab with materials. I must also mention that his malleable form is quite exquisite."

"Thank you, Bulma." She smiled proudly.

"However-" she said sternly. "I did catch Robujin linking up to the Capsule Corp. Mainframe, fishing for data on the new students."

Gigi gulped. "Bad dog?"

"It gets worse. Robujin also changed the room assignments. The assignments were given alphabetically by design. Ginny Gerheart was originally placed in room M-3 with Mari Genner. But today it appears you're in W-1, skipping several letters of the alphabet and placing you with Nadia Nawa."

"I can explain that."

"I hope you can."

Gigi paused, clearing her throat. "I wanted to get to know her better. I did almost get her killed, after all. I took it upon myself to extend the olive branch."

"It is a strange strategy to make friends, my girl...but I'm certainly the last person to pass judgment in that area. But because of the severity of the infraction, I'm placing you on a final written warning. You do understand that it just isn't good manners to go snooping around in someone's computer, right?"

"Yes, Bulma." Gigi said, lowering her head shamefully. "I'm sorry."

"Not as sorry as I will be if you force me to expel the most brilliant student at this school." Bulma opened the drawer of her desk, pulled out a piece of laminated paper and handed it to Gigi. "This is a list of rules. A _very_ extensive list of rules. Put that big, beautiful brain of yours to good use: memorize these rules and make the decision to follow them. Okay?"

"I understand- I won't let you down."

* * *

"I didn't realize Capsule College was going to be so busy." Nadia said as she squirmed past a group of students standing in the middle of the hallway.

"That makes two of us." Trunks replied.

They both turned the corner, finding themselves walking in a relatively quiet corridor.

"You don't seem thrilled about teaching. Should I be worried about the quality of my education?"

"No, it's not that. You see, my mother just recently developed the idea for this school and I've been forced to break my old routine."

"I can relate. When I'm in dance school, I train seven days a week. If I'm not training, I'm competing. If I'm not competing, I'm performing. If I'm not performing, I'm in dance workshops learning. I got some sleep once I think, accidentally."

Trunks chuckled softly. "Sounds like we have something in common."

"I'm doing my best to take it easy, but dancing is just in my blood. Sometimes it feels like it isn't enough, but it brings me the greatest satisfaction that I know of."

"Want to give a performance?"

Nadia shuffled her foot, stopping in her tracks. "Now? Really?"

"You seemed pretty serious last time we talked about it. You're not backing out now, are you?" He said smiling.

"No! I've been wanting to get this out of my system for awhile." Nadia sprinted down the hall. "Come on!"

"Where are you going?" Trunks laughed.

"There's a gymnasium down the way! I scoped it out earlier and it'll be perfect!"

Trunks heart dropped. He picked up his pace and began following her. "I'm not sure that space is available." He looked at his wristwatch. The GPS on the twin's gravity bands showed they were still busy training.

"You're the owner of Capsule Corporation, I'm not sure that's a problem- besides, I need space to move!"

They were too close to the gymnasium for Trunks to come up with a proper excuse, and he didn't want to have to lie to Nadia. Regretfully, he held his tongue and followed her to the entrance of the Gymnasium.

As Nadia eagerly pushed open the double doors leading to the gym, Trunks closed his eyes. In the event that they were doing something amazing, at least he could be honest about not seeing it.

"Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't realize there would be anyone else here." Nadia said.

Trunks opened his eyes to see the twins and Piccolo, all wearing their human disguises. The boys were both sparring, but didn't appear to be behaving out of the ordinary. Piccolo stood with both arms crossed, looking at Trunks.

"Hello Trunks. I didn't realize you had a date. We would have relocated." Piccolo said.

"Who's that?" Nadia said, looking at Trunks quizzically.

"That..that is..."

Trunks hesitated, so Piccolo interrupted. "My name is Professor Nail. I'm the martial arts instructor here at Capsule Corp. Community College. These are my students: Daku and Kolato." He turned his eyes to Trunks. "Didn't mean to surprise you. We've been training here all morning."

"Classes don't start for a few days." Trunks said. "I guess I should have known you would dive in immediately."

"I'm glad you came. Now is the perfect time for a quick break." Piccolo turned to the boys, tossing them each a bottle of water. "Take ten." He walked towards them as they relaxed their stance.

Nadia leaned towards Trunks. "_I didn't know you had a Martial Arts class."_ she whispered.

Piccolo turned to Nadia. "My class is an extracurricular elective. Anyone can join, as long as you're enrolled full time."

She blinked her eyes in amazement. "H-how did you hear me?"

Piccolo smirked. "The acoustics in here are really good. That... and I have abnormally large ears."

Trunks laughed reluctantly. "They look pretty normal sized to me."

Nadia walked towards the center of the room, careful to give herself enough space. "Well, if you're taking a break, you can all watch."

"Watch?" Piccolo asked.

"My dance." She replied.


	15. Chapter 15: The General's Daughter

**Chapter 15: The General's Daughter**

Ms. Nawa sat behind the counter of the small grocery, reading an article in one of her magazines. The small bell above the door rang, grabbing her attention. She set the magazine down to see an old couple pushing the door open.

"Welcome," She said with a smile. "Please let me know if I can help you with anything."

"Ok, we will. Thank you." The older woman said in a raspy voice.

As they stepped around the corner, Ms. Nawa's smile faded and her shoulders slumped. Although Nadia had left for College hours ago, she was hoping to see her daughter's smiling face. Her fantasy swelled as she envisioned Trunks with Nadia, arm in arm walking through the door to the grocery. She envisioned her and Bulma, both the strong single mothers, weeping uncontrollably in each other's arms during the beautiful wedding ceremony. She pictured the birth of her first grandchild. A girl of course; with curly red locks of hair, just like when she was a baby.

"Excuse us!" The old woman asked, louder this time.

Ms. Nawa was startled out of her day dream and returned her attention to the older couple. The older man was standing with his hand on the back of his head, looking down.

Ms. Nawa pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and smiled. "Hello! I'm sorry, I don't know what I was just doing. What can I do for you?"

The old woman held up a jar of honey. "This honey is very expensive. Can you come down on the price?"

"Oh. Well, that honey is actually locally produced and manufactured. It's made from honey bees right here in Pepper town. I apologize, but the price I'm selling it for is very close to my actual cost. If it's too expensive, I can lower it to 500 zenie. That's what I pay."

The old woman crinkled her nose. "Asking these outrageous prices. I wonder how you stay in business at all." She set the jar of honey down on the counter and headed for the door.

The older man slowly followed after her. Before stepping out the door, he looked at Ms. Nawa with sad eyes. "Forgive us," he whispered.

She smiled at him and waved goodbye as he stepped out the door. The bell chimed one last time before the store became quiet. Ms. Nawa took her glasses off and wiped away a tear forming in the corner of her eye. "Don't let it get to you Lita. You've overcome so much in your life; this is nothing compared to..."

Her mind returned to the same memory that haunted her from her teenage years. She was heading into town after a large dance competition where she came in second place. Her dance instructor was pleased, but she didn't want to accept silver, she recalled. When she made it to the center of town on that particular day, she pushed through a large crowd gathered in front of a huge TV monitor.

_"What's going on?"_ Lita asked.

_"This is no good. The special forces team is not doing very well,"_ a bystander said. _"Three of them have already been beaten by the aliens."_

Another person in the crowd interrupted._ "But the reports say they stopped fighting. It seems like they're waiting for someone to arrive."_

_"I don't understand, what's happening?" _Lita said, raising her voice.

_"We need to get out of here! The big alien just left- I need to find somewhere safe to hide!"_

The people were in a panic, and began scattering. Explosions began to go off in the distance and the crowd of people swelled, pouring down the street in the opposite direction. For some reason she didn't quite understand, Lita stood still. She watched the explosions in the distance like fireworks. In less than a minute, she was the only one around. The street was quiet for just another moment until...

* * *

Nadia rested one hand on her hip and examined her nails on the other hand nonchalantly.

"I hope that I don't disappoint. I didn't expect to have a crowd, but I'm not shy. Lucky for you all I'm already wearing a dance unitard under this T-shirt. It's almost like I was prepared or something?" Nadia smiled, tapping her finger on her chin.

She grabbed the long white T-shirt at the bottom with both hands, pulling it up and over her head in one quick gesture. Underneath she was wearing a black, tank-top unitard with a strange brown belt.

Piccolo grunted in surprise, taking a step back. "Is this...possible?"

Trunks narrowed his eyes at Piccolo, before turning back to Nadia to take a closer look. It didn't take him long to realize what he originally missed as the strange brown belt seemed to effortlessly slide itself from around her waist, extending behind her and revealing itself to be a prehensile tail.

His face flushed and Trunks became dizzy for a moment. The only thing he could hear was his own heart beating as he watched Nadia prepare. All he could do was watch, mesmerized by her movements through the air as Nadia danced. It was clear now that her boasting was with good reason. Trunks could see that she was the fastest and strongest dancer at her school for a reason. Trunks finally understood... that Nadia was a Saiyan, _too._

The dance was magnificent, a normal human would have had trouble following all of her movements as she used her ki to propel herself through the air naturally. Trunks could feel random bursts of energy as she prepared for the more complex moves of her routine. His eyes looked at Nadia in a completely different way. It seemed so obvious now: the strong features, the wild hair, the fire in her eyes. How could she be anything but a Saiyan? Without thinking, he realized he was gauging her abilities as a warrior as he watched her muscles flex and her body contort.

A realization of terror swept over Trunks as he began searching his mind for a possible explanation for Nadia's existence. _Who is her father? How and when did this happen? How is it even possible? Why didn't Ms. Nawa tell me? _He thought, almost simultaneously. A picture of Vegeta passed through his mind, filling him with dread.

_Please father, you couldn't be..._ he thought.

Both twins turned from the performance and watched Trunks, drawn to his racing thoughts like moths to light.

Trunks remembered his conversation with Ms. Nawa like it was yesterday. The way she avoided certain details about Nadia. How could he blame her though? Not everyone is so understanding of tails on humans.

Nadia's dance came to a ceremonious finish, as she posed and bowed. The twins clapped politely, smiling. Piccolo's look of shock had dissolved into an emotionless grimace, and Trunks' eyes were glued to Nadia as his mouth hung open. Nadia looked only at Trunks for his reaction and smiled.

"Wow, I was _that_ good, huh? You look like I just blew your mind." She clapped her hands together and walked towards her discarded T-shirt. Her tail rose up, sliding over her hips and tightening around her waist. "You're not jilted about this, are you?" She pointed casually to her tail. "I didn't think you would be the easily-shaken-type." She reached down, grabbing the shirt and sliding it over her head.

"He's not shocked because the tail makes you different." Piccolo said.

Trunks closed his mouth and looked at Piccolo. "Wait..." he said.

"You need to say something." Piccolo whispered before crossing his arms.

Nadia walked over to the group as she tied her wild black hair back into a ponytail again. "What are you talking about?"

"Excuse us," Trunks walked towards the door. "Nadia, can we talk in private?"

Nadia reached down, grabbing a bottle of water from next to the bench. She followed Trunks towards the door, a puzzled look on her face. "Nice meeting you guys," Nadia said before walking out of the gymnasium.

Trunks and Nadia stood alone in the hall as the door echoed shut.

"Let's walk." Trunks said, turning down the hall with Nadia following next to him. She reached forward, grabbing his arm and spinning him around.

"Slow down Trunks. What's going on?"

"I'm sorry for my... reaction. Your dancing is very impressive. It's more than that; It's awesome."

"Well, of course it was. I know I should have warned you about the tail. This was just an easy way for me to tell you." Nadia shrugged. "I don't know, I just feel more normal about it when I'm dancing."

Trunks paused, collecting his thoughts. "I don't know how to say this, but...you're just like me."

Nadia smiled, tilting her head to the side. "What do you mean?"

"That tail is not just an anomaly of nature." Trunks took a deep breath before continuing. "It means that your father was a Saiyan."

"Saiyan? Wait, you mean like an alien, right?"

"Exactly. I know because _my_ father was a Saiyan, too. So you see, that means we have something very special in common."

Nadia smiled. "You mean you have a tail, too?" She reached at his belt playfully, trying to turn him around.

"No, actually. My tail was removed when I was a baby."

Nadia stopped teasing Trunks and looked at him seriously. "You're not joking, are you?"

Trunks looked her in the eyes. "I'm serious about this. There have only been a handful of Saiyans on the planet earth over the last thirty years. At this point, it's entirely possible that you're my half sister."

* * *

The phone rang at the Grocery as Ms. Nawa was turning the sign on the door to closed. She ran around the counter, knocking the phone over in her excitement. She picked up the receiver and pushed her glasses up her nose.

"Nawa Grocery, we're just closing!"

"Hello Lita." Bulma said from the other end of the phone.

"Ah, my partner in crime. How are our little lovebirds doing?"

Bulma remained silent for a moment. "We've had a bit of a crazy week, but what happened today was most unexpected."

Ms. Nawa held the phone with her shoulder as she reached back to untie her apron, setting it on the counter. "Don't sound so serious Bulma, what happened?"

"So, Trunks found out that Nadia has a tail today."

"Did he? How did he take it? Was he a little weirded out?"

"You could say that. He's handling it as well as can be expected. Is there any reason you never shared that with me?"

Ms. Nawa sighed. "Yes, I don't usually talk about it. I try not to let the tail define her. I probably should have mentioned it, but you kind of have to see it to believe it. Know what I mean?"

"I see." Bulma hesitated before continuing. "Lita, I'm going to be very direct here, and I apologize in advance...but I need to know everything you can tell me about Nadia's father."

Ms. Nawa almost dropped the phone, grabbing it at her waist. She sat down slowly and raised the receiver back to her ear. "Why is that important?"

"I'm not sure having this conversation over the phone is the best way to do this. Can we come meet you?"

"What do you mean, _we_?"

"Trunks, Nadia and me."

Ms. Nawa furrowed her eyebrows. "Did Nadia ask you to call me? What's the meaning of all this Bulma?"

Bulma sighed. "Lita; it's complicated."

* * *

Less than an hour later, Trunks, Nadia and Bulma were stepping out of the Capsule Corp. Metro commuter vehicle and heading towards the Nawa Grocery. Ms. Nawa was waiting with the door open. Everyone had a solemn look on their face. Trunks forced a smile for Ms. Nawa, but she looked away. She closed the door behind them, as they entered, and motioned towards a set of chairs that she had arranged for them.

"Please, sit." Ms. Nawa said.

They all sat together. Nadia sat next to her mother, holding her hand. "Mom... I know we never talked much about my father. But Bulma and Trunks need to tell you something."

"Okay, what's this all about?" Ms. Nawa said, somewhat colder than normal.

Bulma scooted her chair closer to Ms. Nawa before speaking. "I guess I should just lay my cards on the table. I know that Nadia's father was not from this planet."

Ms Nawa sat up in her chair, crossing her arms instinctively. Bulma reacted to her defensive posture by slowing down.

"I know this, because Trunks' father is _not_ from this planet, either."

Ms. Nawa squinted her eyes. "How do you mean?"

"My father was a Saiyan warrior. He originally came to this planet with the intention of killing all the humans and selling it. After many battles, he eventually settled here and fought to defend Earth from the Androids. He died trying to protect this planet in the end."

Trunks stopped speaking as he noticed Ms. Nawa's eyes gleaming with tears. Nadia put her hand on her mother's face, looking at her.

"Mommy, what is it? Why are you crying?"

Bulma inched closer to Ms. Nawa again. "Lita, the reason I want to know about Nadia's father." She composed herself, taking a deep breath. "Is because I'm afraid he might also be Trunks' father."

Ms. Nawa wiped her tears away and sniffled. "Oh my goodness."

Bulma couldn't hold back anymore and tears began to cascade down her cheeks.

"Well," Ms. Nawa said through the crying. "I didn't expect to be having this talk today, but here goes everything." She closed her eyes, composing herself. "I always knew he was not originally from this planet. Years ago, aliens attacked, and destroyed some cities. The news reported that the army had fought them off, and they retreated. But not before..." She opened her eyes and looked at Nadia, exhaling deeply. "Not before leaving me with my beautiful baby girl." She wiped more tears from her eyes.

Nadia's eyebrows furrowed with anger. "Mom... he _attacked_ you?"

Ms. Nawa's lip quivered, and she tilted her chin down. "I don't regret _anything_. I never wanted you to think you were a mistake." She couldn't finish her sentence before tears erupted again. "I _always_ wanted you. From the moment I knew you were mine. From the first time I felt you move inside of me."

Nadia began crying and wrapped her mother into a hug. "You could have told me," she wept. "I'm strong, I would have understood."

They held each other for a long time without saying anything. Trunks reached over and took Bulma's hand. She looked into Trunks eyes and squeezed his hand in response.

Ms. Nawa turned to Trunks and Bulma, wiping her tears and coughing quietly. "Well...to answer your question. He was tall... and muscular. He had a large bald head, and his hands were very strong." She said with a tone of defeat.

Bulma closed her eyes, exhaling. "Lita, I'm sorry to hear what happened to you. The man you described was not Trunks' father. His name was Nappa, and he was killed before leaving earth."

Ms. Nawa's eyes were fixed on the ground. "Please...don't ever say that name again."

Nadia turned to Trunks and Bulma, anger still in her eyes. "Are you both satisfied now?! Now that you know that_ 'Trunks' father'_ wasn't responsible for me? Is there anything else you _need_ to say?"

Bulma sat back. "Nadia..."

"Because I think it's time for you both to leave." Nadia stood up, knocking her chair backwards and stormed to the door, swinging it open, causing the bell hanging above it to fly off and hit the wall before tumbling to the floor. "In case I wasn't clear; you got what you came for...so get out!" She yelled.

Trunks looked at Ms. Nawa, but she continued to gaze at the floor silently. He stood up and walked towards the door, pausing as he approached Nadia. "I didn't mean to-"

"I know you didn't mean to, Trunks. But you did. You can't undo this. Now _please_, leave."

Bulma stood up and walked over to Ms. Nawa. She placed a hand on her shoulder for a moment, before walking with Trunks to their vehicle.

Nadia shut the door behind the Briefs as soon as they were out of the shop, quickly closing the door blinds. She walked over to her mother, crouching down in front of her. "Mom, it's okay. Don't think about it anymore. Let's get some rest." She lifted her mom to her feet, and they both walked towards the stairs, heading up to their bedrooms.

"It's hard to believe what happened today." Ms. Nawa whispered as they walked into her bedroom. She sat down on the edge of her bed.

"The nerve of those people."

Ms. Nawa held her hand over her heart and winced. "It's really not their fault."

Nadia untucked the sheets and covers of the bed. She grabbed the pillow, fluffing it angrily and causing feathers to fly throughout the room. "I knew it was too good to be true. I'm just some alien science experiment to those people."

"Sweetie..."

"I hope Bulma has the decency to give you a refund, because I'm not going back there. I'm spending my summer with you, like I wanted to begin with."

* * *

Bulma drove quietly back to Capsule Corp. while Trunks looked out the window. They didn't speak at all for the first half of their drive. The evening clouds were gray and blotted out what was left of the dusk's light.

"I'm sorry Trunks." Bulma said, her voice faint.

"Why?"

"Nadia was right. I didn't want to know for anyone but myself. Of course I wanted to know if Nadia was your sister, but more than anything I didn't want to be believe that Vege..." Bulma became silent.

"I understand, mother. I don't know if there was a right or wrong choice here."

"I was so relieved when she said that it was Nappa that...I wasn't very sympathetic to what Lita had gone through." Bulma gave a regretful sigh as she gripped the steering wheel tightly.

Trunks stared out the window as the dark clouds began to give rain. Droplets ran down the window and the heat of his breath fogged the glass. His mind returned to Nadia's dance and how excited she was to show him. None of that seemed to matter anymore after what just happened.

Bulma turned on the radio. The announcer just so happened to be talking about classes starting at Capsule Corp. Community College. Bulma rolled her eyes, turning the radio off. "I'm not nearly as excited for classes to start anymore. But we must push through it. That's what we do, right?"

"Right." Trunks replied, his eyes catching site of Capsule Corp. in the distance.

* * *

Daku, Kolato and Piccolo were all meditating on the emerald terrace when Trunks and Bulma walked through the entrance, holding Capsule Corp. umbrellas to help stay dry.

Bulma walked towards the group, both hands holding her umbrella. She looked down for a second, hopping casually over a small puddle of water. She looked at the small group after regaining her balance.

"Hello, Piccolo." she said with a smile.

Piccolo opened his eyes and looked at her with rain dripping down from the top of his bald, tan head.

Trunks crouched down with the group."I think you mean _Professor Nail_." he added.

Bulma looked at Piccolo with wide eyes. "I didn't know you were going to be teaching, Piccolo. Congratulations...do you need me to add you to the faculty yearbook?"

"No. I needed a cover story. Being a professor here was as good an excuse as any." he closed his eyes again, returning to his meditation.

As the rain started to subside, Trunks lowered his umbrella. "I see you've been training my students."

Daku and Kolato lowered their heads.

"We didn't mean to upset you, Trunks." Kolato said. "It all happened so quickly. At first we thought you had sent him-one thing led to another..."

Bulma closed her umbrella. "I'll let you boys settle this like men. It's good to see you again Piccolo." Bulma reached out and squeezed Trunks' arm. "Goodnight Trunks." Bulma turned around and walked to the Capsule Corp. building.

Trunks looked at both of his students. "I'm not upset. I think Picco...er, Professor Nail will be a good instructor." Trunks stood up, stretching his legs. "I still intend to teach you both personally. We don't have much time and I can certainly use the extra help."

"Yes." Daku said.

"How is your progress with the gravity training?" Trunks asked.

Daku and Kolato's faces both lit up. Daku clenched his fist with intensity before speaking. "We mastered the gravity level today. I'm faster now with the extra gravity than I was without it!"

"Excellent." Trunks replied. "I would normally have you show me now ...but if you can excuse me, I need to get some rest. I'd like to see what you can do first thing tomorrow morning."

"Yes, master!" They both said in unison.

* * *

Nadia laid in bed with his her arms crossed. She could feel every beat of her heart, which had kept her awake for hours. Her wristwatch chimed again. She looked at it to see another message from Gigi:

_G_Gerheart... where are u anyways? _

She didn't give a response, not that she even knew how to with the new contraption. She removed the wristwatch, dropping it on the bed stand.

Nadia's emotions continued to grow as she was left alone to deal with her thoughts. She always wondered why her father had abandoned her, but now she was seething with anger. She wished he wasn't already dead so she could kill him herself. Her heart began to throb faster as she recalled the events of the day.

Nadia sat up quickly, throwing the covers off of her. Without giving it any more thought she left her room, ran down the stairs and flung open the door to the grocery, rushing out to meet the cool night air.

Ms. Nawa sat up in her bed, trying to regain her senses. "Nadia? Is that you?" She pushed her night mask up and turned on the bed side lamp.

But Nadia was too far away to hear her mother's voice. Her bare feet were already hammering against the crude, concrete road. The wind rushed across her skin, keeping her hair pushed behind her as she ran faster into the night. The occasional streetlight would catch a glimpse of Nadia in her thin white T-shirt and fitted grey capri sweatpants as she dashed down the empty city street through the darkness.

A flash of her mother being raped entered her mind without warning, causing her heart to wrench. She reacted by gritting her teeth and forcing herself to run faster. She focused on the pain in her feet to distract her mind as she continued to push herself. She ran so far that she ran out of road, leading her out of Pepper town. As the ground became softer and more forgiving, her mind took control again, and she imagined her own conception surrounded with fear, sorrow and pain as she pictured the look of horror on her mother's face. She clenched her fists, drawing red droplets of blood as her fingernails turned upwards into the flesh of her palms. Her body began to shake with energy and her vision became dark as a surge of anger rushed up her spine, causing her hair to stand on end as the wind picked up around her.

With a scream of rage, Nadia lifted both of her fists above her head. She fell to her knees, slamming her fists into the earth below her. The impact formed a small crater and shook the ground around her, triggering a handful of car alarms near the outskirts of the city. She leaned forward, coughing on the dust as she fought to catch her breath. The cloud of debris around her dissipated and she sat back. She stared at her blood smeared hands as her breathing slowly returned to normal. The clouds rolled back and the starlight reflected off of her skin, glistening with sweat. She turned her eyes up towards the night sky with a solemn look of acceptance on her face.

"I feel better," she whispered to herself. Nadia slowly picked herself up, turned around and headed back towards the grocery.


	16. Chapter 16: Split Decision

**Chapter 16: Split Decision**

The morning sun had only begun its ascension, and its light was not yet pouring through the gymnasium windows. The clock chimed six as Trunks and the young Natamoru teens entered. Piccolo was already sitting with his legs crossed on a padded floor mat. He was wearing blue sweat pants and a white sweat shirt with the word "TURBO" embroidered across the chest.

"I'm excited to see your progress," Trunks said. He pointed to the center mat. "Over there, please."

The boys followed his instruction, standing across from each other in the middle of the gym. They were wearing an identical set of loose-fitting white gis. They each squared off, prepared to spar.

"Wait." Trunks said, stopping the boys from continuing. "You aren't fighting each other. You're fusing."

Daku raised an eyebrow curiously and Kolato scratched his head. Piccolo closed his eyes and chuckled.

"Fusion? This race and I are more similar than I thought." He mused.

The boys retook their position across from each other, carefully striking the intricate poses and postures required to complete their fusion technique, which filled the room with a brilliant flare of white light. When the light subsided, a hum of power still lingered in the room, radiating from the being Dakoto.

Trunks rolled up the red sleeves of his baseball style t-shirt. He looked at Piccolo as he crossed his arms. "Care to test their power yourself?"

As if ready for the conflict, Piccolo stood up. He cracked his knuckles before placing his hand on his neck, stretching his head to the side. "Sure."

"Don't underestimate them. I've made that mistake on more than one occasion." Trunks said with a laugh.

Dakoto turned to face Piccolo, not looking nearly as cocky as when he encountered Trunks not so long ago. His voice still reverberated with an echo when he spoke. "Ready?" The fused warrior said, slinking into a fighting stance.

Piccolo sunk into a strong stance with both arms slightly staggered. Without any notice, Piccolo vanished and reappeared behind Dakoto, smashing a strong elbow strike into the side of his face. Dakoto was caught completely off guard and flew into a row of folding chairs, smashing them into pieces. As Dakoto slid on the gymnasium floor, he rolled to his feet, slapping the ground with an open palm to slow his momentum until he came to a stop.

Piccolo didn't give them time to relax. He appeared beside the Natamoru, bashing his gut with a heavy knee. He followed up by grabbing the stunned warrior, pulverizing his stomach with another hard knee strike.

"Gyah!" Dakoto groaned in pain. He staggered backwards, struggling to stand.

The smile previously across Trunks face was gone as he watched the brutal assault.

In a blur, Piccolo's arm whipped forward beyond it's normal length like a striking cobra, grabbing Dakoto by the forehead and pulling his prey closer. Piccolo cocked his foot back and wound up, aiming a roundhouse kick for the Natamoru's stomach. Before the attack made impact, the fused warrior gained his composure, blocking with his leg.

The smallest hint of a smile edged the corners of Trunks' mouth before fading awake.

Dakoto swatted Piccolo's hand off of his head and quickly thrust his fist at the Namekian, but Piccolo dodged the punch easily.

"Your thoughts are interesting." Dakoto said. "They tell one thing, but your actions tell me something different. It's a magnificent distraction."

Piccolo smiled. "It's a little technique I started working on when I recognized you have a nasty habit of putting your mind where it hasn't been invited. Hopefully you learned your lesson."

"I'm capable of learning." Dakoto smiled, clenching his fists and raising his power level as white bursts of energy covered him in waves.

"Your people are so used to reading thoughts. I hope you break the habit before it breaks you." Piccolo re-entered his fighting stance.

Dakoto's aura pulsed, and he disappeared, reappearing next to Piccolo, thrusting an elbow towards his face. Piccolo raised his forearm, blocking the attack with a resounding boom that echoed through the large gymnasium, shaking the steel rafters. He followed the attack by thrusting his heel towards Piccolo's leg, but the Namekian evaded, backflipping out of the way.

Dakoto lunged forward, enveloping Piccolo in a swarm of punches and kicks. At first, Piccolo dodged with ease-but as Dakoto continued to put pressure on the Namekian, he was forced to block the attacks with a counter measure of open palmed hands, forearms and knees. Finally, Piccolo grunted as a solid front kick made its way through his defense, sending him backwards against the wall. Wasting no time, Dakoto rushed forward to take full advantage of the opening.

Just before his fist could make contact with it's target, he vanished. Piccolo reappeared behind the cornered warrior fifty meters away. He raised his arm and pointed two fingers towards his forehead as he began to rapidly charge his ki.

Trunks reached his hand out. "Piccolo!"

With a subtle grin Piccolo deftly pointed his fingers at Dakoto. "_Makkankosappo!"_ He shouted, expelling a spiralling beam of energy towards his opponent.

Trunks appeared in an instant between Dakoto and Piccolo's attack with both of his arms crossed, just in time to clash with the massive energy beam. An explosion of light filled the entire room until Trunks had absorbed the total shock of Piccolo's trademarked technique.

Trunks lowered his arms as Piccolo descended to the ground. "I said to test their power; not test their limits."

Piccolo turned his back, walking towards his padded training mat. "You're almost as bad a Chi-Chi." Piccolo sat cross-legged on the mat. "You told me not to underestimate them...so I overestimated them instead."

Trunks turned to Dakoto. "You can separate now." He started walking towards the mat as the boys ended their fusion with a similar flash of brilliance. He stood next to Piccolo, turning to look at the boys. "Do either of you question my decision to intervene?"

Daku gulped quietly, gathering his nerve before looking at Trunks. "Yes, I do."

While Kolato, however, looked away. "No, master." He spoke quietly, doing the best he could to hide his feelings of shame.

"I appreciate your honesty. You both trained differently over the past few days. How did that work when you came together? Did you feel different than normal?"

Kolato lifted his head, a smile of excitement overtaking his gloomy disposition. "It felt as if I had done both exercises." He looked at his hands and legs. "It _still_ feels like I did both training drills!"

"Good. I had hoped for a similar effect." Trunks circled Piccolo slowly. "I can tell that the small amount of training we did has greatly increased your power. Now we decide how to move forward to take full advantage of our new information." Trunks stopped in front of Piccolo. "From now on, Professor Nail will be your instructor Daku. I will continue to train your brother.

Piccolo closed his eyes and smiled, letting out a quiet laugh. "That's your plan?"

Paying no mind to Piccolo, Trunks continued to address his students. "In one week, you will fight. After the battle, by performing the fusion, you will both have gained all the experience from training under two different masters."

Daku and Kolato both nodded their heads in acknowledgement.

"You're excused. Thank you for your hard work today." Trunks said.

The boys both bowed respectfully before exiting the gymnasium. Trunks put his hands in his pockets and looked at Piccolo. The Namekian pushed himself to his feet, towering over the Saiyan warrior when raised to his full stature.

"Are you sure you're even up to the task of training one? Wouldn't you prefer I train them both so you can play with your new girlfriend?"

"Were you trying to kill them today, Piccolo?"

Piccolo smiled. "No. So it's a good thing you got in the way... or I would have."

"Why?"

"I already know what these boys are capable of...I'm more interested in what you can do."

"Do you think you know me well enough to take that kind of risk?"

"Maybe not." Piccolo stepped to the side, walking past Trunks. "I know you have good intentions for training these boys...but if you don't get serious, my disciple is going to make the difference in our training methods _painfully_ obvious for his brother."

* * *

Nadia walked up the small step-ladder, balancing a box of canned soup as she made it to the top. She stocked the shelf quickly before jumping down and setting the step-ladder against the wall. She walked back to the counter, tossing the empty box into a large trash bin on her way. Upon her return she picked up a clipboard, scanning the list of items.

The stairs leading down to the grocery creaked as Ms. Nawa came down, still looking a bit groggy. "I'm sorry honey- I _never_ sleep in. I haven't needed to set an alarm to wake me in ages."

Nadia looked at her wristwatch and smiled. "Mom, the store only opened 15 minutes ago. I hardly consider that sleeping in...not to mention the fact that your grocery store is open entirely too early as it is. When was the last time you had a customer come in before seven o'clock?"

Carefully sliding the trash bin out of her way, Ms. Nawa stepped behind the counter and grabbed her apron. "Trunks used to come by pretty early most weeks," she said while tying the straps behind her back into a bow. "I enjoyed the company."

The checklist made a small clammer as Nadia tossed it onto the counter. "Oh."

Her curiosity caused to reach forward and drag the clipboard towards her. Picking it up she began to read the list. "Did you stock this entire order?"

Nadia leaned against the wall, both hands resting inside of her apron. "Yes."

Setting the clipboard down, Ms. Nawa looked intently at her daughter, waiting to catch her eye before speaking. "How long have you been up?"

"Don't worry about it. I'm up; you're up...now let's _socialize_." Nadia walked behind the counter, sitting on the only available stool.

Slowly Ms. Nawa reached over, lifting Nadia's chin with her hand. "Honey, I'm sorry for waiting so long to tell you about your true father. If it wasn't for Bulma, I might not have ever told you. I think I would have regret that more right now."

"Then it was a good thing it happened after all." Nadia replied cynically.

Ms. Nawa rolled her eyes and pushed Nadia off of the stool, knocking her behind the counter in a heap before scooting onto the stool herself. "Believe it or not, I've carried a lot of guilt about that...but this morning it's gone. It's like a weight has been lifted."

Nadia stood up, rubbing her hip. "Owwie...no fair, I was sitting there first."

"Oh, I'm sorry dear. I didn't see you there on _my_ stool." Ms. Nawa said with a wink.

The counter creaked slightly as Nadia leaned back on it. She looked at her mother with a soft smile. "I don't want anyone to hurt you. Not even your friends. Even if you end up forgiving them."

"That's good- but I don't hold it against _them._ I think we're lucky to have Trunks and Bulma in our lives. You should feel the same. If I can forgive them; what right do you have to a grudge?"

The door to the grocery opened quietly and Gigi tiptoed in wearing a hot pink dress with black stripes and a black, short-sleeved jacket. She rapped her knuckles on the countertop. "Hello," she said softly. "This is the Nawa grocery, huh?" Gigi looked around the quaint store, admiring the classic stylings. "It sure smells pretty in here. What is that: cake batter and chamomile?"

At the first sound of the familiar voice, Nadia turned around. "Gigi...what are you doing here?"

Gigi hopped up onto the counter, turning towards the mother and daughter duo. "What are _you_ doing here? That's the real question. _I'm_ here checking on a friend."

"Who's this honey?" Ms. Nawa said with a smile, tilting her thin glasses down the bridge of her nose.

"Mom; Gigi. She's the one who almost killed us with a rocket, remember?"

Ms. Nawa gasped "Oh my," she said, holding her hand to her chest.

"She's also my former roommate as luck would have it."

Gigi raised her eyebrows with concern. "What do you mean former?"

"I've decided I'm too cool for school I guess." Nadia shrugged before crossing her arms over her waist.

"Nadia, you can't give up before you even try." She tossed her hands up in the air with exasperation. "That's a new level of failure- That's like _supreme_ failure."

"It's not like that Gigi," Nadia grumbled. "I'm not giving up because I can't do it."

"Then what is it? Does Trunks Brief not share the same feelings that you have for him?"

Defensively, Nadia cocked her head back and raised her eyebrows. "What? That's a ridiculous idea." A small droplet of sweat appeared on the back of her head.

"No it's not, it's science. When he walked into the room yesterday, your heart rate and blood pressure increased by twenty-five percent. The chemicals in your brain that produce happiness and pleasure also increased by fifty percent. That's not some coincidence. That evidence."

The information caused Nadia's cheeks to blush. Before she could turn to her mother for support, Ms. Nawa had already slid from her stool and walked into the backroom. Once she was out of range, Nadia turned back to Gigi.

"There's no way you could know that." Her eyes narrowed. "Unless..." Nadia lifted her wrist, showing Gigi the Capsule Corp. wristband. "You said this thing takes biometric readings... did you hack my wristwatch or something?"

Gigi slipped off of the counter and shuffled around in a semi-circle. "Uh...not exactly." She twirled a long lock of her blonde hair between her fingers.

"It's a yes or no question, how exact does your answer need to be?"

"I mean, I didn't really need to _hack_ anything. I designed the watches to share data when I made them."

Nadia's eyes widened. "What?! You made it sound like this came included with my tuition! Have you been stalking me or something?"

"No...I mean, technically _yes-_ but how else was I supposed to find you?"

"You used it to track me here like some kind of lost pet?" Nadia began frantically trying to remove the watch, fumbling at the band. "Unbelievable."

"Don't be mad at me Nadia, please. "I'm really sorry! Just hear me out! Please?"

Nadia slowly stopped trying to remove the watch, giving Gigi her full attention. She cross her hands and waited silently. She wore a more than subtle look of disapproval.

"Thanks. I know you're going through something. I promise, I don't know what that something is. I'm not trying to infiltrate your life and ruin it. I was always kind of the strange kid and I never had a lot of real friends, so I don't know how to do this friend thing. I realize now that honesty is important to you...and if we're going to be friends, I'll make it more important to me. Will you give me a chance to be a better friend?"

After it was clear that Gigi was finished, Nadia returned her attention to the wristwatch without responding. After several long, painstaking moments, Nadia finished removing the wristband. She paused to look at the device before hold it out across the counter. "Take it."

Dragging her feet as she approached, Gigi reached forward and reluctantly took the gadget. "Guess that means _no_." Gigi turned around walking towards the door, sagging her shoulders.

"I don't mind being able to message each other, but if you expect me to wear that you better change all of my privacy settings to _private_."

Turning with wild enthusiasm, Gigi's eyes lit up. "Ok! I can do that. I can definitely do that!"

"Can I trust you to make all the changes unsupervised? I don't want to have someone else check it for me. That defeats the purpose of this trust thing."

"Yes!" She squealed.

"Good. Because I still _kind_ of like you," Nadia said followed with a smile.

Before she could say anything else, Gigi had latched onto her with a miniature bear hug. Nadia hesitated, but Gigi's act of friendship warmed her heart and she returned the friendly embrace.

Stepping back, Gigi wiped the joyful tears out of her eyes. "Wait..." Pausing before talking, Gigi tapped her pointer fingers together. "Does this mean you're coming back to C4?"

* * *

The hallways of the Capsule Building were surprisingly barren compared to campus move-in day as Trunks walked through them alone. It gave him plenty of quiet time to contemplate the whirlwind of events that were sweeping his life away. Afterall, Piccolo was_ alive_. He still got excited thinking about it. It troubled him that the Piccolo from this time seemed to be more arrogant than he remembered from his journey to the past. He took the opportunity to remind himself not to be baited into competing with him so easily during this week of training with Kolato...but some of the words Piccolo had said resonated through Trunks' mind, replaying again and again: _Wouldn't you prefer I train them both so you can play with your new girlfriend? _

And there she was again: Nadia. Trunks hadn't dealt with feelings of regret _this_ strong for a long time. Every fiber of his person wanted to get to know more about her. But fate, it seemed, had a different plan for him. He absolutely couldn't understand it. How was the thing they had most in common the same thing that separated them the most?

The encounter at the grocery left everyone feeling a little broken, especially Ms. Nawa. She didn't deserve what happened yesterday, and Trunks couldn't wrap his head around the damage that was done. He hadn't seen Ms. Nawa in the grocery for days, and now he wasn't sure if he was even welcome there any more.

Leaning against the wall and deep in thought, Trunks didn't notice the thin hand coming from behind as it rested on his shoulder. The gentle touch manged to safely pull him out of his head and into reality. Trunks turned to see the owner of the hand was Mel, looking very human. Her wild orange hair was tied in a ponytail on the left side of her head and cascaded over her shoulder. She was wearing a pair of tan-colored Capsule Corp. Capri Cargo pants and a frilly yellow tank top.

"Hey Mel."

She mimicked his posture, crossing her arms and leaning against the wall next to him."You look like you need someone to talk to."

The way she spoke, Trunks felt like she had known him forever. He couldn't help but melt a little at the warmth of her smile.

"That obvious?" He pressed the palm of his hand against his forehead, pausing before running his fingers through his hair. "I could use a friend right now."

Mel linked her arm around Trunks' and they started down the corridor and made their way outside. The sky was overcast, and their eyes barely needed to readjust as they stepped out of building.

"You're doing a good job, Trunks."

"You think so?"

"I _know_ so. Most people crumble under pressure. Something inside of you is different. When the weight of the world gets dropped on your shoulders, you push back. Something inside of you won't give up. And the most amazing part? You find strength that you didn't know was there...or you create it. _That_ is special."

It was hard for him to hear her kind words with everything that had happened the day before. He didn't understand how he could save the world and yet destroy the relationships that were important to him?

"Have you ever been... interested in someone? Someone you can't get out of your head, and when you do finally get them out of your head...you wish that you didn't anymore?"

Before answering the question, she pulled gently at her bottom lip with her fingertip. "It sounds like you're asking me if I've ever had an unhealthy obsession with someone."

"You think so?" Trunks heart ached slightly at the honesty in her answer.

She lightly embraced his arm by pressing it with her other hand as she continued to give her answer. "I know that love isn't always about how you feel or what you are feeling in a moment. Love is a choice. Love is an unending covenant between two people. It's a permanent agreement to be in unity with each other, no matter what. And it's rare that obsession will ever result in that."

Mel stopped walking, letting go of Trunks' arm. She took a step off of the path and into the grass, where she sat down. She leaned back, resting her head on the soft grass, stretching her legs and kicking off her shoes.

Just by looking at her, Trunks could tell she wanted him to join her. He made his way over to the small grassy landing, slowly laying down. He kept his knees bent with his feet flat against the grass and resting his hands across his stomach.

They both looked into the sky, watching the clouds steadily roll across the heavens, enjoying the silence. If only for a moment, nothing needed to make sense except that nothing made sense.

Trunks chuckled. "So you think I'm obsessed?"

"I think you're different than most." Mel pressed her hands over her eyes and groaned quietly. "And it's hard to counsel you about the Nawa daughter objectively."

He turned his neck so he could see what Mel was doing. The thin blades of grass pushed against his cheek as he watched her.

Mel uncovered her eyes and turned her head to the side to look at Trunks. "It's difficult to be around you, because I'm so _drawn_ to you. And I have the curse of knowing that you don't exactly feel the same. My personal hope is that you will learn to be fond of me, because I can't compete with your heart's desire. As much as I want to help you, all I want to do is sabotage her chances with you."

"Mel, I..."

She interrupted him by pressing her fingertips against his mouth.

"It's okay Trunks." She lowered her hand, turning her eyes back towards the rolling cloudscape. "Your thoughts are an open book, so I thought it was fair I share the same type of courtesy with you."

They both remained silent for a moment. She pointed up towards the sky. "Look."

Intrigued by what he might see, Trunks turned his gaze. "What am I looking for?"

"Don't those clouds look like..." Mel's hesitation led to an infectious giggle. She pulled her hand back and covered her mouth as she finished laughing. "I'm sorry, you have no way of knowing what I'm talking about. I was going to say the clouds look like a bird native to my planet."

"I might not know the bird, but I can picture it. Four wings, short beak, pointy feathers?"

"Yes, that's right. You see it."

A soft breeze blew over them, warming their cheeks as they relaxed under the cloudy afternoon sky. The calm reminded Trunks of the first time he met Nadia at the campus orientation. He pictured her lying in her room, still angry about their last meeting. He hoped that he was wrong.

Mel closed her eyes and breathed deeply. "Didn't I promise to teach you how not be be such an open book?"

"That's right, you did. Maybe it's time I took you up on that offer."

"Close your eyes." Mel reached over and grabbed Trunks' by the hand. "I'll take us into the dreamscape. This should be fun."

Within seconds after closing his eyes, he could feel himself tumbling backwards, as if he was falling down an endless ravine. His physical body felt more and more distant the longer that he plummeted through the darkness. As suddenly as he began falling, his descent abruptly stopped, leaving Trunks floating in the middle of the dark. A flash of pink light materialized in front of Trunks and Mel appeared before him like a celestial goddess, radiating light. She was wearing a flowing pink gown with a deep neckline. The sleeves were long, flowing past her wrist, and the hem was half way up her thighs. Her skin was tinted pink, and her hair was red and flowed like fire.

"That was different," he said.

The sound of Trunks' voice echoed through the void until it faded into the ambient noises around them.

"Good to see you again, Trunks. I had fun the last time we did this. My sister can be a real bore though."

"You seem much different in this world."

"I can tell you _like_ what you see," She said with a hauntingly melodic laugh. "You're right to be impressed. I'm the strongest of my kind. No one can match me in the dream... except _maybe_ Kara." Mel raised her arms with her fingertips fully extended. Pink energy flowed freely from her hands and surrounded them. The room seemed to meld effortlessly until Trunks was standing in what appeared to be a surreal version of his room at Capsule Corp.

"How did we get here?"

Floating gracefully to the ground, Mel landed. Her hair was still pink, flowing serenely behind her as if it was dancing under water. "I found the image by searching your thoughts." She snickered mischievously. "You were quite defenseless as I snuck around. But we are not in your room; we are _in_ your mind."

"So you mean to say that we aren't dreaming?"

"That's exactly what I mean. Good for you to know the difference!" She floated towards a bookshelf. Her fingers danced over the many bindings until she found a particularly interesting volume. She grabbed the book, flipping it open. "This book is a collection of your thoughts and feelings. Specifically, it contains your thoughts about growing up with only a mother." She closed the book, throwing it to Trunks. "You might not want that information to get into the wrong hands."

Trunks flipped through the book, but instead of words, the pages were filled with his memories. Each turned page caused new emotions and images to pass through his mind's eye. He closed the book nervously. "You mean to say anyone can read...can view these memories? Any Natamoru?"

"That depends." Mel pointed at the window. A gentle breeze poured through the open window, teasing the translucent white curtains. "This is a mental security breach. This is one of the many ways that we can get into your head."

As he looked around the room with new understanding, the lack of security became more apparent. The front door was unlocked; The television was on; even the phone next to the bed was off the hook.

Mel popped in front of Trunks, startling him. "Scary how easily the most powerful being in the universe can be infiltrated, isn't it?"

Determined to learn from his mistakes, Trunks walked around the room, righting each wrong. He hung up the phone, turned off the TV, locked the front door and finally closed the window. He turned around to look at Mel. She was hovering above the bed, sitting with one leg crossed over the other.

"Nice try...but, you have any other ideas?"

A minor feeling of terror filled Trunks as he saw all of his work had been undone instantly. A cool breeze touched the back of his neck. He reluctantly turned to see that like the other security breaches, the window was still open too.

"You need to think outside of the box for this. And by box, I mean think outside of your body. You think those are really your arms you just used?"

With a snap of her fingers, a swirling vortex of pink energy surrounded Trunks, manifesting a straightjacket around the Saiyan.

"What are you doing?!" He squirmed against his restraints.

"I'm taking away your crutch...and don't bother struggling so much. That'll get you free about as fast as chewing bubble gum will."

She was right. Struggling was useless. If anything, he noticed that all the panic was causing the room to be more accessible as the door cracked open and drawers began to pull themselves free. He calmed down, re-examining the situation.

"Ok. I'm listening now."

"You want control? Realize the truth: This room is a _visual_ representation of your mind. That's why your arms are no good. If you want to make something happen, you have to change your mind using your will...if you understand what that means, that is. You can't just will a window to shut the way you would shut it with your hands. Does that help?"

"We'll find out." Trunks took a step towards the Television. The more he observed it, he began to realize that the news reporter was broadcasting the details of his life. He searched his thoughts for the source of the information. His mind began racing until he was able to grasp the thoughts occurring through the TV. Suddenly, the news reporter stopped speaking. She tapped on her microphone, examining it for any kind of defect before looking through the TV at Trunks.

A gentle, deliberate applause came from behind him as Mel floated closer. "There you go. You're getting the hang of it. But what if I don't want you to block yourself off?"

The focus in his mind shattered as Mel forced her way into his thoughts. The volume on the television went to the max. At the same time, an off camera reporter on TV handed the news anchor a small piece of paper. She inspected it and began reading aloud.

_"This just in: Trunks Brief, co-owner and operator of the Capsule Corporation will be teaching several classes at the newly founded community college on campus at Capsule. Sources familiar with the situation have advised us that he's nervous for the first day of school slated for tomorrow..."_ she said.

"Is that true, Mr. Brief?" Mel said with a look of seriousness on her face. She couldn't hold out for long, and broke into a fit of laughter. "This is too much fun- Keep trying!"

Determined to win, Trunks focused his thoughts. He could detect an intrusion. There was something not quite right about the situation. He closed his eyes, eliminating the visual stimulus. His mind had been invaded, but he couldn't quite place how. A spark snapped in front of his eyes, and the reality of the situation hit him.

"We're in _my_ mind. No matter how strong you may be in the dream world, I'm in control here." The straightjacket binding Trunks began to loosen and slip off, vanishing in a puff of pink smoke.

"Uh-oh..." she said playfully. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm not going to do anything." He crossed his arms. The sheets and blankets levitated off of the bed, entangling Mel in a cotton cocoon. The bound Natamoru was dragged by the ethereal linens out of the room through the open window.

"Hey, that's no fair," she complained as her voice carried off into the distance.

Left alone in the room, Trunks turned to the window, watching it shut itself securely. Behind him he could hear the phone hang itself up and the door slammed shut and locked. The TV reporter gave Trunks a thumbs up before the TV went black.

Trunks opened his eyes to the sound of birds chirping. He pushed himself off of the ground with his elbows as his balance was restored.

Mel was already sitting up, a playful smile across her lips. "That was impressive. How do you feel now?"

It wasn't long until Trunks noticed the difference. Everything seemed quieter. He could sense more of what was going on around him. His hearing and touch seemed enhanced. He turned his eyes back to Mel. "How do you _think_ I feel?"

"Let's see." She narrowed her eyes in concentration.

Immediately, the thought of a window being pried open and books flying off of their shelves entered his mind. In response he instinctively knew what to do. Trunks visualized the window shutting and the books returning to their rightful place. A lock materialized on the window for protection.

"Incredible. Before, I could barely notice that you were reading me. But now I can clearly tell that you didn't get in. "

"That's not true. I got in for about half a second before you noticed the intrusion. I didn't get a complete thought though, just a fragment." She stood up, sighing sweetly. Her wild orange hair hung in front of her as she lamented. "I certainly enjoyed it while it lasted. It's bitter-sweet saying goodbye."

Trunks stood up after her, dusting the traces of dirt off of his pants. He couldn't help but notice feeling a renewed sense of self confidence. "If you ever want to know what I'm thinking again...just ask."


	17. Chapter 17: Far Beyond Driven

**Chapter 17: Far Beyond Driven**

A trilling alarm of chimes came from Gigi's wristband as she laid unconscious on the dorm room couch. Her blanket was half underneath her and half on the floor, exposing her loose pink pajama tanktop and a pair of black sweatshorts. Her body sprawled in every direction, one leg over the back of the couch and the other over the arm. After a minute, the alarm increased in volume...but she continued to snore softly. After five minutes of ringing, the wristband began vibrating, shaking her arm until it slid off of the couch and onto the floor. At the ten minute mark, the alarm and vibration stopped. There was a second of calm again until the wristband administered an electric shock to it's sleepy host.

Her eyes immediately sprang open and she vaulted upwards. "Nyahhh! I'm up- I was awake! Ouch-ouch...stop-cease!" The electrical pulses stopped. She leaned forward, resting her hands on her bare knees, exhaling a small gasp bubble. "Ok. That was painful. I should recalibrate that before tomorrow."

After regaining her composure, she looked at the empty bunk beds, frowning with disappointment. She didn't expect anything after her last conversation with Nadia, but she still kept her hopes up. She stepped onto the unexpectedly frigid tile floor which caused her to hop around as if on hot coals, looking for discarded pieces of clothing to stand on. "Oh my gosh... so cold!" She stopped to shiver as she stood on her discarded black jacket. She shuffled over to her suitcase, reaching in to grab a pair of pink socks. She slipped them on, one at a time, focusing all of her concentration on staying balanced.

Satisfied, she reached down and picked up the jacket, tossing it into a pile of dirty clothes next to the couch. Gigi reached into her suitcase and pressed a hidden button. A small assembly of poles and hooks rose from the suitcase and formed a portable wardrobe with several posh outfits to choose from.

She rubbed her chin as she considered her various options for the day. "How about _geek chic_ meets Capsule Schoolgirl?" She tucked her thumbs above the elastic bands of her shorts and pushed them down past her hips, letting them fall to her ankles. She pulled one foot out of the shorts, kicking them near the pile with the other. She pulled her tanktop off next, getting her head stuck for a second before safely tossing it with the rest of her discarded clothes. She rubbed her arms and shoulders as the chilly air touched her bare skin.

She grabbed a pink and black plaid skirt, removed it from the hanger and tossed it onto the arm of the couch. Rifling through more hangers, she picked out a long-sleeved black dress shirt with a pink bow-tie already attached, laying it down nicely next to the skirt. "Where did I take off my bra?" She began searching the ground around her couch. "Think: where were you when you last had it Gigi?" she muttered to herself.

With the determination to retrace her footsteps, she began walking towards the door to her room. "I came home last night..."

But before she could finish her sentence, the lock LED on the door clicked from red to green. Gigi was petrified with fear, her throat felt so thick that she couldn't breath or talk. When the door began to open, the realness of the situation seemed to restore some movement to her body which she used to step backwards as quickly as she could, unfortunately it was too fast to stay upright when you combine the slipperiness of the tile and the fluffiness of her socks. As she fell backwards, she instinctively wrapped her arms around her chest, covering as much of her nudity as she could.

Entering the room just in time to see her half-naked roommate falling backwards into a mechanical wardrobe, Nadia froze. As much as she knew that she ought to look away, she couldn't move. Her hand was glued to the door and her eyes were tying to make sense of what they were seeing.

Gigi leaned forward from the collapsed tangle of poles, hangers and clothes, still clutching her breasts. "Little help over here?"

Shaking herself out of it, Nadia stepped into the room shutting the door behind her as she rushed to Gigi's aid. She grabbed the blanket off of the couch, draping it over her.

Feeling a renewed sense of decency, Gigi wrapped the blanket around her chest, veiling her upper torso as she carefully stood up. "Thanks roomie. I didn't think you would be coming," she said with an awkward giggle.

"Yeah, after seeing all of that I _hope_ you didn't think I was coming."

Both girls couldn't contain it, and the room filled with their laughter. When their enjoyment reached a lull, Nadia walked over to the bottom bunk and rolled onto it. She pulled the red hood of her sweatshirt over her face to help block Gigi's morning routine from her peripheral vision. Gigi stepped carefully through the mess of clothes, trying not to trip over the blanket as it dragged on the floor in front of her.

"You haven't happened to see my...uh, bra. Have you?" A small droplet of sweat appeared on the back of Gigi's head.

Nadia cooly pointed under the bunk bed without moving her body. "It's over here. You're not going to let this place get trashed are you?"

Shuffling towards the bed, Gigi started to blush slightly but her blonde hair hung across her face, covering one of her rosy cheeks. "I'm normally pretty good. I kind of fell off the deep end of depress express when I thought I'd be alone here." She reached down, grabbing a small black bra. Turning swiftly, she proceeded to the corner of the room, checking to make sure Nadia wasn't looking before dropping the blanket and fixing the treasured, missing piece of her underwear into it's proper place.

"Good. Because if I have a messy roommate, I end up being kind of messy." Nadia looked at the ripped knees of her denim jeans as she rocked her legs back and forth slowly. "So, you must be really excited about today? Going to college here is like a dream come true for you." She reached down to her waist, touching the coarse brown fur of her tail as she continued. "I hope it ends up being everything you wanted."

"Oh, it will be," Gigi replied while pulled her skirt from the floor up to her waist, zipping and buckling it tight. She sat on the edge of the couch, straightening the collar of her shirt. "How does this look?"

Nadia rolled onto her stomach, tugging her hood back to make way for her eyes as Gigi finished pulling a pair of black and pink striped stockings on. She stood up, modelling the outfit with a twirl, causing her skirt to flare out slightly. In addition to the skirt, shirt, bow tie and stockings, she added a pair of pink suspenders and pink high-heeled shoes. Her blonde hair was tied back with a pink and black lace bow, except for the characteristic curtain of hair that always covered her left eye.

"Wow. That's...intricate. I'm starting to notice a pattern with you."

"Oh! I almost forgot," Gigi reached into the front pocket of her shirt, pulling out a pair of black, horn rimmed glasses. She slid them on, pushing her long bangs over them afterwards. "I'm bringin' science back." She thrust her hip to the right, fanning her skirt slightly before it fell flat against her thigh.

"You're too much Gigi." She looked at her wristband. "Are you ready for class yet?"

Gigi bent down, her ankles trembled and her high heels teetered as she skillfully grabbed her messenger style book bag. Lobbing it over her shoulder, she headed towards the bunk bed. Her eyes caught a glimpse of Nadia's tail, wrapped around her waist.

"I see you decided to stop hiding it. I think it's kind of cool; like a limited edition accessory, know what I mean?"

Nadia turned her head and saw the exposed tail. "Yeah I guess...wait, when did _you_ find out?"

"At orientation. When my rocket almost blew you up, it came out from underneath your dress for a second or two... when you were on the ground, of course...I wasn't looking up your skirt or something, it was just right there in front of me..." Gigi rolled her eyes and exhaled a sigh of defeat. "I'm not even gonna _try_ and make this one sound better."

"Then stop talking about it already and let's go!"

* * *

Daku stood in the center of the silent gymnasium. All of the lights were off and the windows were darkened by metal shutters. Although everything appeared calm, he looked ready for anything. He had been standing at attention for nearly an hour, straining his focus in every direction. He fought his mind's tendency to think or become distracted in an effort to remain constantly vigilant.

His efforts paid off as he noticed a slight disturbance at the far end of the room. He turned around as fast as he could, aiming quickly and firing a blast of ki across the gym. The burst of light approached it's target, revealing Piccolo from his hiding spot. The Namekian extended both hands, nullifying the blast, and returning the room to a state of darkness.

_Again._ Piccolo's voice echoed in Daku's head.

Repositioning himself, Daku controlled his breathing and relaxed his mind, scanning the room for any signs of movement or changes in ki. Fighting without reading his opponent's thoughts was new territory for a Natamoru who grew up using the ability as part of his daily life. The new world perceived around him left him with an unsettled feeling, yet he strived to face the new challenge. He concentrated and began waiting for Piccolo's next move.

* * *

Trunks looked at the pristine blackboard, lined with fresh chalk. The entire room looked like something out of a dream. He had never gone to a proper school or university. Growing up with Bulma as his mother, Trunks had all of the education he could ask for. He remembered fondly from childhood that she was an excellent teacher, always encouraging and motivating. There was one day specifically that stuck out in his mind.

Trunks was eight, and his purple hair sat in a similarly shaped mop on top of his much littler head. He sat on a stool in front of a workbench holding a soldering gun in one hand and a circuit board in the other. He pressed the hot solder against the wires, causing sparks to fly with a large crackle. He shielded his face. Dropping the circuit board in frustration, he started to weep quietly.

Bulma lifted her welding mask and turned her blowtorch off. She stepped back from the small robot she had been working on before she detected the whimpering.

"Trunks, is everything okay?" She set the blowtorch down and removed the welding visor, dropping it with a clang. She dusted off her hands as she started walking over, tucking her gloves into her back pocket. When she reached her son, his head was tilted towards the ground as he sniffled in between sobs.

"No,*sniff* everything isn't ok." He wiped his runny nose using the inside of his elbow. "I'll never be able to do this."

"Why do you say that, Trunks?"

Trunks sat silently, still weeping.

Bulma bent down to his level, tilting his chin up gently with her fingertips. "Trunks, why do you think that?"

"B-because this is _hard_."

"You're right. It _is_ hard. But we don't take the easy route. The rewards aren't anywhere near as good for doing things the easy way, right?"

"But it's _too_ hard. I'll never get it right."

"I understand how you feel." Bulma stepped back and smiled. "You remember what grandpa said about inventing capsules?"

Trunks stopped weeping. He wiped the tears off of his cheeks and nodded his head.

"He said," Bulma stood tall, holding three fingers in front of her mouth and adding a slight rasp to her voice. "I gave up on my dream after trying and failing one-hundred and twenty-seven times. Then, a year later I got the nerve to tried again. I didn't give up until I failed two-hundred and fifteen times. A year later I decided that no matter what I would keep going." She lowered her fingers and looked at Trunks. "And how many times did it take him after that to make his breakthrough?"

Trunks snickered. "Grandpa discovered capsule technology after nine-hundred and fifteen tries."

"Is that true?" Bulma covered her heart with both hands. "If my math is right, how many times did he fail after he made up his mind to never give up?"

"Seven-hundred times."

"I see. What do you think would have happen if he decided to give up after trying six-hundred and ninety-nine times?"

"He...he never would have gotten rich?"

Bulma quirked her lips at the remark. "Well, that's true I suppose. But more importantly, he would have lived his whole life thinking that he tried as hard as he could and failed. Aren't you glad that grandpa didn't give up for good?"

Trunks nodded his head in agreement.

"And how many times did you try before giving up on this?"

Trunks winced slightly. "Six times."

Bulma came around and sat on an empty stool next to Trunks, hugging him warmly. "No one likes to fail, but giving up is not the right answer, it's just the final failure." She rubbed his shoulder lovingly. "One thing I know for sure about your father, is that when things got hard, he never gave up. It may have resulted in some of his greatest defeats, but he always believed in himself, and I think you should too."

He raised his head, picking up the circuit board and soldering gun again."Okay, mommy, I won't give up- not even once!"

The promise echoed in his mind over twelve years later. Her advice helped him follow in her footsteps quite nicely, continuing to become the third generation of Brief inventors. He wasn't exactly sure how well suited he was as an academic teacher, but he wasn't going to give up before trying.

"Hello Trunks!"

He turned towards the open classroom to see Bell standing by the doorway. She was hugging a stack of textbooks with a cheerful smile on her face. Her human disguise left her with the same shoulder length hair, parted in the front, only blonde instead of blue. She was wearing a tan sweater-vest with a short-sleeve, white collared shirt underneath and a long green skirt.

"Hey Bell." He looked at his wristband. "You're the first one here. Class doesn't start for fifteen minutes or so, but you can find your seat if you like."

"Ok." She eagerly pranced to the front row, setting her books in a stack to her left. She sat down, scooted her chair in and crossed her hands on top of the table politely. "So, Capsule Technology 101?"

"Yes, that's right."

Bell bit her bottom lip and kicked her heels against the floor. She sat for a moment, lingering in the awkward silence until she couldn't take it any longer. "So...what are you thinking about?"

He tried to sense any sign of forced entry to his mind, but couldn't detect anything. "Can't you find out?" He said with a laugh.

"I just thought... maybe I'd try asking for once."

"Is that so? If I'm being honest, I'm thinking that today is going to be a long day."

Bell ran her fingers through her hair, repositioning it behind her shoulders. "Yes! Isn't it exciting? I've been watching lots of television shows about college. It seems like fun."

The door to the room opened, and a small group of students poured in, scattering into the back, filling in the empty seats. Some of the girls in the group began whispering to each other and giggling.

In an attempt to be discreet, Bell turned her neck slowly to look at the newcomers. She only took a glance before turning her face forward and cowering a bit. She looked down at the table and stretched her hands out flat against the smooth surface. "You know... I have no idea what those girls are laughing about." She lifted her head and started to smile. "And I couldn't care less."

As a mix of more students filtered through the door, Gem snuck in; but hardly unnoticed. She was wearing a white button up shirt, unbuttoned to her sternum, with a red necktie that hung loosely. Her human disguise gave her chocolate brown hair, tied into a ponytail with light hazel eyes surrounded by a swirl of red eye shadow. Her black skirt swayed as she sauntered her way to the front row. She hoisted a small tote bag off of her shoulder and slid it onto the desk. "Hey guys. What did I miss?"

"Why are you wearing your clothes like that?" Bell whispered.

_Can we try to keep this a private conversation sis?_ Gem projected telepathically in response.

Leaning in closer, Bell whispered more quietly as Trunks started to approach them from his desk. "No. I can't right now."

"What do you mean you _can't_?" Gem whispered back.

"I'll tell you later."

_Tell me now!_ she thought.

"Welcome to class. I saw that you both would be here when I was reviewing the roster. Except for both of you, I'm not sure who is... a previous resident and who is a new student. I didn't exactly have enough time to meet everyone over the last week."

Gem leaned forward, crossing her arms under her chest tightly. "You already know the ones worth getting to know. I wouldn't lose any sleep over it if I were Trunks." After she finished speaking, she looked perplexed. Gem tilted her head to the side slightly before sliding back into her seat. "That's interesting."

Trunks tapped his temple with two fingers. "I didn't mean to be rude. Just remember that from now on, looking into the teacher's head is going to be the same as cheating. Don't take offense, but I decided it was time to set some new boundaries."

"How did you learn your new trick, Trunks?" Gem asked, batting her eyelashes innocently.

Bell looked back and forth between the two. "What are you guys talking about?"

Gem gave her sister a quick glance. _He figured out how to keep our mental hands, feet and objects to ourselves. He caught me peeking inside of his head and blocked me right away. I didn't get anything useful, either__._ She thought.

"What?!" Bell exclaimed.

Trunks cleared his throat, looking into the room overflowing with students. "Welcome everyone to Capsule Technology. Please take your seats; class is about to begin."

* * *

"Hurry, let's go!" Gigi yelled as she ran through the hallway as fast as her high heels permitted.

"Slow down, we're almost there," Nadia insisted as she jogged to keep up. She looked down at her watch. Despite their best efforts, they were already three minutes late to class on their first day.

"Over there!" Gigi called, pointing at the open door. "It's still open. Maybe we can sneak in undetected." She slowed down, coming to a stop several feet in front of the door. Motioning for Nadia to follow, she waited for her to catch up.

"Don't make a big deal out of it, just act cool." Nadia walked past Gigi and through the door, making a b-line to the back of the classroom while keeping her head down.

Gigi waited for Nadia to take several steps into the room and followed after her.

"Thank you for joining us girls," Bulma said loudly from the front.

Nadia took her seat, flipping the red hood of her sweatshirt over her head. With their plan foiled, Gigi rushed to her seat. Nearly falling over, she grabbed Nadia's back for balance before sliding into an unoccupied chair.

"Thank you to everyone who made it on time. For those of you who were late, you get to experience the grace of first day forgiveness. Please don't make a habit out of it." Bulma leaned over her desk, pressing a sequence of buttons. The lights dimmed, and a large holographic globe of the world projected into the center of the room. "This class is called World History. But I like to think about it as a Philosophy of History. We're going to be learning about the past, the present...maybe even the future."

"Wake me up when class is over." Nadia whispered. She leaned forward, crossing her arms and then using them as a make-shift pillow.

"Are you mental? I'm not sure first day forgiveness will cover this." Gigi whispered back, as loud as she could without raising her voice.

But Nadia was already asleep.

* * *

Nadia opened her eyes to see the empty classroom. The chairs were all pushed in neatly and the chalk board was clear. She looked to her left and saw Gigi was still sitting there, playing with her wristwatch.

"Hey...how long ago did class end?" Nadia said softly.

"It wasn't long. I didn't want to wake you. You seemed really peaceful."

"That's the point of sleep...but next time, please wake me up. Okay?"

"Okay, I will. Don't get all mad about it." Gigi exhaled deeply as if breathing fire. She stood up, knocking her chair backwards. "Come on, let's go already."

Nadia rubbed her head and stood up to follow her. "Alright, where are we going exactly?"

"Some people came to college to learn, not dream their education away."

Nadia scowled. "What's it to you how I spend my time here? You're the one who wanted me to come back so badly. I only came back so I could do one thing."

Gigi pushed the doors open leading to the courtyard. The light pouring in was blindingly bright, and Nadia was forced to cover her eyes as she stepped into the clearing.

"Wow, that was more than I expected." She held her hand up to try and block out the sun. As her vision returned to her, Nadia could see the entire student body of C4, crowded in a circle around the edge of the emerald terrace, all staring at her. "What the hell is going on here?"

Gigi reached around Nadia's waist from behind and grabbed her tail. "Don't be shy." She unravelled the tail, extending it to it's full length. "Look at what I found everybody! Ever seen one of these?"

The crowd all started laughing and pointing their fingers. Nadia could hear them saying, "Look at that!" or "She's some kind of monkey!" and "That's weird."

Nadia tried turning around, reaching desperately behind her she grasped for Gigi, but she didn't seem to get close. "Why are you doing this?! Let go of me! Let go of me!" she yelled as the laughter grew in magnitude.

"_Nadia_..." Gigi said, quietly.

* * *

"I said let go of me!" Nadia yelled, sitting back violently in her chair.

Reacting to the sound of the disturbance, Bulma turned from what she was writing on the chalk board. "Is everything okay? Gigi, are you bothering Nadia?"

"N-no ma'am. I was just trying to... um..."

Nadia's heart was racing. She looked around the classroom, still feeling disoriented. She was awake now. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. "I'm Sorry. It was my fault."

"It's alright. Besides, I got so carried awake, I didn't notice that we ran out of time. For our next class, everyone please read the assigned chapters in your book. We'll be exploring a Brief History, and the pun is intended. Class is dismissed... The students all rose simultaneously, filing out of the room through the exit. "Nadia; can you please come down here?"

Gigi stood up, grabbing her bag. "I guess I'll wait for you in the courtyard?"

Nadia shook her head. "No, definitely not. Just wait for me outside."

When the line to the exit had emptied completely, Gigi reluctantly slipped out the door.

Nadia put both of her hands into the pockets of her hooded sweatshirt and walked towards the front row. She stood quietly looking at Bulma.

"I'm glad to see you decided to come back."

"Good," she replied. "me too."

Bulma reached towards her desk and adjusted a framed picture of her, Goku, Krillin and Yamcha. "I know this must be hard, the way everything has piled up on you all at once. Trust me, if anyone understands that it's me."

Nadia shrugged indifferently. "I'm sorry...but nothing really changed. I'm the same _girl-with-a-monkey-tail_ today as I was yesterday, as I will be tomorrow. Now I have a new name for that: _Saiyan_. Not sure if it sounds any different than freak yet. I'm still figuring that one out."

"I'd like it if we all made an effort to start over. There's a lot of things that still haven't been discussed; important things we should talk about."

"I appreciate the offer. I'll get back to you on that."

"Very well." She cleared her throat, dropping a stick of chalk on her desk. "Now that the formalities are out of the way; I must remind you that this is still a college accredited school, and if you're going to attend I expect you to follow the rules. Please respect the staff and students. You can start by coming to class on time and making your best efforts to stay awake."

"Okay."

"I need you to know that just because your mother and I are friends doesn't give you special privileges. Do you understand?"

"Yes. May I go now please?"

Bulma hesitated, forcing a smile. "Yes."

"Thank you." Nadia turned around, leaving the classroom without a second thought.

Sinking into her chair, Bulma swiveled in a circle, looking exhausted. "Same Saiyan pride I remember." she said, laughing to herself. "What have we gotten into this time?"

* * *

Nadia stepped out of the classroom and continued down the hallway. Gigi almost didn't notice as she breezed by, but was able to scramble and catch up. After a few seconds she only trailed behind by ten feet.

"Nadia! What was that all about in there?"

"I had a heart to heart with the dean."

"No, not that...I'm talking about that rather terrifying episode right before class ended."

"I must have been dreaming; that's what startled me."

Gigi quirked an eyebrow. "Dreaming? Sounded more like a nightmare."

"I can't put my finger on it, but it was so vivid. It felt real...too real to be..." Nadia continued marching through the hall, with a look of determination on her face. "Forget it for now. We'll talk about it later."

"Sure, but where are we going?"

"_You_ are going to your next class. I have to find someone."

* * *

The gymnasium was fully illuminated now. Piccolo was pacing back and forth slowly while Daku sat on the bench and listened to his instruction.

"I see after today that most of your power is in fusion alone. Don't take this the wrong way, but as an individual your power is very underwhelming. It's really astonishing that this technique causes such a dramatic increase." He turned on his heel, walking again in the opposite direction. "However, I believe that Trunks is correct in assuming that if your individual powers rise, the increase _during_ fusion will be exponential." Piccolo stopped in place. Although his human disguise hid the large green ears, he was definitely concentrating on something.

His suspicions were confirmed as a heavy handed knock pounded on the gymnasium door.

He closed his eyes and smiled. "Go. Let her in." Piccolo commanded.

Daku rose to his feet, quickly making his way to the door. He unlocked it and began pulling it, but before he had much of a chance to, the door flung open and knocked him back a few steps. Nadia brushed right past him, making her way to Piccolo.

"Professor Nail is it?" She said, an undertone of anger in her voice.

"What do you want?" Piccolo said calmly.

She looked straight into his eyes. "I want you to teach me."

"I'm sure you do," He said with a laugh. "but regretfully, I don't have time to play around. Now you must excuse us, we're in the middle of something."

"What? _No_. I'm not leaving. Not until you let me join your martial arts group."

Piccolo crossed his arms ominously. "And _why_ should I do that?"

"Because I'm a full-time student at this college, which meets the requirement for participating in your extracurricular elective...and because _you_ told me that anyone can join."

"Hmph. Is that right?" The empty calm on his face turned into a crooked smile. "If you're as serious as you sound, you should know we start early each morning; you're welcome to come back tomorrow. Until then, I trust you won't have any trouble finding your way out."

Nadia rolled her eyes and walked towards the door. "I'll be here." She looked at Daku as she stepped out of the gym. "Sorry about the door."

The door closed behind her with an echo, and Daku returned to the bench where his master awaited him.

"What does that mean for us?"

"That means our training will have to adapt."


	18. Chapter 18: Break Through

**Chapter 18: Break Through**

The first day of class was over, and despite his doubts, Trunks managed to survive it relatively unscathed. He spent the rest of his evening standing on the third floor balcony, overseeing the grounds. Leaning over the railing, he took a moment reflecting on the events of the previous week, trying to grasp how much had changed and what, if anything, was still the same.

The sun had turned a dark orange color as it continued to approach the horizon. Many students were coming and going through the courtyard below him. Before the Natamoru had arrived, Capsule Corp. had been empty for a long time. But now the facility turned college overnight was flowing with life. It gave Trunks little comfort in light of his current circumstances.

He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and unfolded it; it was the attendance sheet for his last class; _Data Ciphering._ Next to the entry for _Nawa, Nadia _was the word absent in red. He folded the paper once more and tucked it back into his pocket.

The elevator door chimed and opened. Trunks turned in time to see Kara in her human disguise stepping out gracefully. Her raven colored hair was long, and flowed behind her. She was wearing a pair of black shorts, a white "CC" turtleneck t-shirt and white sneakers. Although Trunks had gotten to know Kara better, she still had an aura of mystery whenever she was around.

"I was looking for you," she said as she glided next to him, grabbing the railing. "It's been much harder to find you recently. I have my sister to thank for that."

"I can see how that might be frustrating." He said with a smile.

He looked to the terrace below at the sound of laughter. Two young students were studying at a small round table near the courtyard, with books and paper sprawled everywhere. Kara curiously looked over the railing to see what had caught his interest.

"We all got spoiled; No one wanted to lose that access to your," She hesitated before finishing "personal perspective on life...but all things must come to an end," she sighed with lament.

"You did find me, though. What can I do for you Kara?"

She turned around, leaning her elbows onto the railing so she could look at Trunks. "I'm worried about our home world. There isn't anyone else I can turn to. Even my people don't share the same feelings, collectively. Being with you here on earth has been...so joyful." She turned her head down, composing herself. "But there is more to life than being happy. I'm afraid that going home will be a painful reminder."

"You need to go home more than you want to."

"Yes." She reached over and touched his forearm, a glimmer of sadness shining in her blue pupils. "Don't think that we aren't grateful...but we can't rest here until we know what happened to our people."

"I understand. I intend to return to Natamoru and see if it's safe for everyone who wishes to return home. I don't have a vessel to make the journey yet, but Bulma is organizing the proper repairs to use the ship that brought you here."

She looked content with his answer. "Good. I must insist that my sister and I travel with you."

He couldn't hide the look of worry that crept across his face. "I'm not sure that's a good idea. We don't know what could be waiting for us when we get there."

"I _know_ that we must be on the maiden voyage back to Natamoru. All of the_ signs_," she stopped herself before mid sentence. She composed her thoughts again before proceeding. "I_ feel_ very strongly about this. I wouldn't ask otherwise."

"When we were inside of Piccolo's stronghold, you said something about a sign to your sister. I haven't given it much thought since I overheard it until now. Did you see something?"

A warm breeze blew through the open balcony, flowing through her long black tresses. "Do you remember how Kaeke gave you a prophecy before he died?"

"Yes. I can't say I remember everything he said as much as I remember that he said it."

"Don't worry about that, you _will_. But that was _his_ gifting. My gifting is reading signs that lead to my destiny."

"You said something about the third sign...does that mean you saw two others?"

Kara crossed her arms, stepping away from the railing as another warm breeze rolled across the balcony. "It means I've seen at _least_ two others. In truth I've seen four signs."

"And what happens when you've seen the final sign?"

She turned around, facing Trunks again. "Reunion."

Clearly she looked torn on whether she should explain. The silence lingered for a moment before she made the decision to continue. "Mel and I aren't like the other girls. We aren't full-blooded Natamoru. We're half Moradatu."

The name dawned on Trunks as something from a distant dream, but he recognized it immediately. It was the first time he had heard it spoken out loud. "Really? I can't tell any difference."

"Are you sure? Maybe physically, but what about in the dreamscape? You've seen my sister and I in our avatar forms... and young Bell, if I'm not mistaken?" She smiled. "Surely you've noticed that Bell's appearance and ability are worlds away from our own."

He could sense an underlying spirit of competition in her voice. It was the first time Kara showed herself as proud, making her seem a little more human.

"You're right. I assumed that was something that came with experience."

"Perhaps, but it would take her two lifetimes to achieve our level of control. That isn't the only thing. Truly, the differences are profound. I'm not sure if you know, but our full-blooded Natamoru kinsmen can't block each other from reading thoughts. Only Mel and I do. Not even Daku and Kolatu know how to do that."

"Is that true?" The realization opened Trunks' eyes in a way he didn't expect. "But they can learn, just like I did...right?"

"I'm afraid not. You can make yourself stop breathing, but you can't stop yourself from suffocating at the same time."

"I see. But you're different."

She nodded her head earnestly. "You should also know that Mel and I are unable to use the fusion. The day of our birth was the last time we were combined. We are the first Moradatu child born of a Natamoru woman in our history: We were born as a single child, we fell asleep that night as a single child...and we awoke as two separate beings."

"That's incredible." As strange as her story made him feel, it all seemed very familiar, almost as if he heard it in a half remembered dream. "Do you know how close you are to your reunion?"

Kara smiled at the irony. "I wish it was that simple. I have the signs, I know where they lead...I am lost as to _when_ they will happen. The only thing I know is the signs didn't start until we arrived here. That means _you_ must be our hope."

* * *

A door opened into a dark room, filling it with a small amount of light as the silhouettes of two people danced across the threshold.

"Are you ready to see this?" Bulma asked excitedly.

"Yes!" Gigi replied.

"Okay, here goes!" With a flick of her wrist, the florescent lights began flickering on to reveal a clean white laboratory and workshop. In the center of the room, on a silver metal table sat a curious robotic dog, wagging it's tail.

"Robujin!" Gigi squealed in delight, holding her arms out expectantly.

The robotic canine didn't disappoint her, responding to the gesture by jumping off of the table and into her arms. The force of the impact knocked her on her back as she giggled endlessly.

"Meet Robujin 4.3...the new and improved version. Completely safe for use on the premises, without fear of causing injury or death to others."

Gigi put her fingers under its armpits and lifted the metal pup into the air. "He even feels lighter. How did you manage that?"

"It was a trick with the programming. Your _Gerheart proprietary compression technology_ is very impressive to work with, but you weren't fully utilizing everything you could do with it. By making some mathematical adjustments, I was able to cut his weight by about thirty percent."

"Genius. So where's the change log?"

Bulma walked towards the computer, typed in a command and mashed the enter button. A stream of paper began coming out of the printer. After a few moments, the printing had completed and the document was touching the ground. Bulma reached for it, tearing on the perforated line. The length of paper hung almost to the floor as she walked towards Gigi. "Here you go. I know it looks extensive, but most of the features on this list are only disabled temporarily."

Setting Robujin on the ground, she stood up and took the list. "Wow." She began scanning it as Robujin hopped up, pawing her leg playfully. "Let's see... disabled: rockets, drill cannon, self-destruct...lawn mower? Okay, I guess I understand that..." She continued to read quietly as her eyes went line by line. "What? Laser eyes disabled? That's a survival feature."

"I thought you might feel like some of these changes were a bit unnecessary. If you skip to revision 101.5, you'll see that a subset of features are disabled based on your current GPS location."

"So laser eyes at Capsule Corp is a no go... but laser eyes while camping in the mountains?"

Bulma gave the thumbs up. "You got it kiddo."

She held the list with one hand and tapped her chin thoughtfully with the other. "I think we can live with that." She reached into her bag, grabbing a small metal bone. She tossed the treat into the bot's expectant mouth. "_Good boy_."

"How have you been adjusting to school life?"

"Me? Good so far. Classes have been interesting."

"I know from your course load that most of the classes won't be very useful to someone like you, which is why I'm mentoring you personally. You have a lot of potential, and I'd like to nurture that until it eclipses what I have to offer you."

Gigi jumped to attention, holding her hand out. "AND! I am _eternally_ grateful for that."

"Speaking of which, I have a special project I'd like your help with. I know you're already proficient at hiding information, so you have to promise to keep a secret."

"Ok, you have my word!" Gigi held out the palm of her hand, making a spitting sound into it and holding out her arm to the side at a right angle. "You can count on me."

"Well, if I didn't trust you before, now I certainly do. But seriously, not a word to anyone." Bulma reached under the table and pulled out a large rolled-up blueprint, setting it on the table and sprawling it out in front of them. "Take a look."

Gigi scanned the blueprints with a quizzical look on her face. "Is that a...spaceship?"

* * *

It was night. The sun had finished setting, and a calm breeze weaved its way through the teetering mountain peaks. Trunks had brought his pupil to a remote place in the mountains for a bit of private one-on-one training. He was happy to keep Piccolo confined to the gymnasium. At least inside of Capsule, he knew that Piccolo would restrain himself...he hoped, anyways.

When the two finished walking to the top of the mountain, Trunks noticed Kolato's spirits were low, as the young warrior stood languidly.

"Something on your mind?"

Kolato frowned slightly but didn't speak.

"Before we begin, just lay all of your cards on the table."

The Natamoru teen blinked twice, looking confused.

"What I mean to say is: tell me everything you're thinking about."

Reluctantly, Kolato sat down on the edge of the cliff. "I guess it's a good idea." He picked up a small rock, throwing it into the ravine below. "Daku and I haven't been seeing eye to eye. Ever since Kaeke left us, he's been increasingly harder to... cooperate with."

"I see." Trunks crouched down, moving closer to Kolato. "He has always seemed like the more outspoken of the pair. I thought it was this way with all the Natamoru."

"That's true. But he has become more reckless. When we fuse, there is a steady lack of control. His pride has blinded him. I know that if you hadn't intervened during our fight, Professor Nail's attack would have been too much for us to handle. There is no excuse for his behavior. He should know the same things I do...down to the last thought; yet he pretends that we could have recovered, and was somehow offended."

"I have a feeling part of this is my fault. I'm the one who made you each train yourself separately."

"No. The sickness was already there. I don't know if your idea made it better or worse. It did give him the space he was looking for."

"Kolato, you are clearly the responsible one, responsible for both of yourselves." Trunks stood up, brushing his hands off. "If your brother has become puffed up with pride, then it's your duty to humble him."

"Maybe you're right." Kolato turned his head towards his sensei, smiling hopefully. "I feel better after talking about it. Thank you."

"You're welcome." Trunks fell back into a defensive stance. "Now stand up and hit me...if you can."

* * *

"Stop." Piccolo said, interrupting Daku's assault.

Daku skid to a halt, breathing heavily. His clenched fists were shaking. "I can... keep going...don't stop yet," he said, gasping for air. His loose gi was dirty and tattered from enduring the training. His face and forearms had similar bruises and scrapes.

Piccolo closed his eyes. "Can't you feel it?" He opened them again. "Your brother has started his training."

Looking around the room, Daku continued to pant, on the border of exhaustion. "He's too far. I can't detect... his thoughts." He leaned forward, resting his hands on his knees, taking a deep breath.

"Control your breathing." Piccolo pressed his fingers against Daku's chest, pointing to his heart. "Don't locate his thoughts, use your ki to sense his energy. The focal point is directly under my fingers, direct your intentions on that spot and find him."

Concentrating, Daku began to take even breaths. He channeled every ounce of strength he had left to the spot under Piccolo's fingertips. Out of nowhere, A picture flashed through his mind of Kolato's punch making impact with Trunks' hand. He opened his eyes. "I see it! Kolato is fighting Trunks."

Piccolo lowered his hand and walked towards the door. "Class is dismissed until tomorrow morning. Your assignment tonight is to follow the energy patterns of Trunks and your brother. When they call it quits, you can go to sleep. Tomorrow you can show up a little later than usual. I have a private appointment with our special guest."

* * *

The ground shook as a blast of energy exploded against the base of the mountain. Dodging casually, Trunks continued hopping backwards across the cliff tops. "Is that the strongest attack you have? Show me your best!"

His taunting still encouraged Kolato to push himself further. Kolato held his palm forward, steadying his wrist with his other hand as he created a large energy ball. Once the blast was fully formed, he launched it towards Trunks. He quickly began reforming the attack, firing them at his master, one after another.

Trunks stopped retreating, and sprung into action. He easily swatted the ki attacks out of his flight path, sending them harmlessly into the distance. He stopped within striking distance of Kolato. "Good. Now, attack me up close. Just don't leave an opening for me." Trunks threw a feint punch with a smile, which was easily blocked by Kolato.

The Natamoru teen retaliated by throwing an assortment of punches and kicks at his instructor, but Trunks continued to lecture him during the assault.

"If your form is good, I will allow your attack to continue. If you leave me too big of an opportunity," just as he finished, Kolato missed Trunks with a wild swing. Trunks stepped in, jabbing him in the gut before continuing his lecture. "I'll punish you for your mistake, like so. Do you understand?"

Kolato growled with discomfort. "Yes. I can tell you're going much easier on me." He returned to his fighting stance, engaging his opponent once more.

The two of them continued to spar into the night. Every minute or so, Kolato's consistent string of attacks was interrupted with a punishing blow from his master. After a particularly embarrassing kick, Trunks dashed in, throwing a punch that stopped inches in front of his student's face. Kolato stood motionless as his eyes refocused on his sensei's knuckles.

"Lesson over." Trunks lowered his fist.

Kolato looked puzzled. "But... I can keep going. Daku trained for almost ten times that amount today."

"I never said your training was over. My methods are different from Piccolo's. Tonight, I want you to remember each time you left yourself open. There was a theme that I noticed during each of your attack failures. Come back tomorrow ready to discuss your mistakes, and I'll continue to train you."

"Yes, master." He said, smiled eagerly.

* * *

The door to the dorm room pushed open. Bell tripped inside as Gem urgently ushered her in. Slamming the door shut, Gem turned her attention back to her sister. "Take it off_ now_."

"I can't take it off," Bell protested. "it's part of my disguise."

"I don't care." Gem grabbed Bell's wrist, unlatching the disguise band. Bell's human façade shimmered and faded, revealing her thin pointed ears sticking out of her blue hair, with light blue skin and eyes.

"Ouch." She rubbed her wrist where the band was forcibly removed. "What's gotten into you?"

"Maybe if you could communicate _properly_, you would already know."

Bell relaxed her mind and began perceiving the thoughts and feelings of her sister. It wasn't long before she was shocked by what she found. Bell gasped, shifting away from Gem. _What have you done?!_ she thought to her as panic began to spread.

_I told you I would take care of it, so let me._ Gem thought calmly.

_What if Trunks finds out? He'll hate us._

_Then he better not find out._ She narrowed her eyes at her sister as her train of thoughts continued. _And don't act like such a goody-goody. I know your heart; you wanted this too. If you didn't, I wouldn't be trying so hard. I only want you to be happy. If this is going to work, we need to be in agreement. If you don't want him anymore, you can tell me now and I'll stop. It's that simple._

Bell sighed. _I still do...want him. I don't want to lose without putting up a fight. I just didn't think it would get this dirty._

"All is fair in love and war." Gem said soothingly. She clicked the disguise band closed and walked towards the door. "Just stay out of sight until I can get another one of these. I'll be back later."

After she was gone, Bell laid on her bed with her hands over her heart and closed her eyes. _Please forgive us, _she thought.

* * *

With morning's light still an hour away, Piccolo walked alone through the halls under the disguise of "Professor Nail." He wore a new set of generic clothing, as he had each day since his arrival at Capsule Corp. His outfit consisted of a pair of red sweatpants and a sleeveless white cutoff t-shirt, showcasing his massive biceps. He began to laugh quietly to himself when he was still a good distance off from the gym. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised." He said under his breath.

He entered the gymnasium in time to see Nadia warming up with some push-ups. She didn't divert her attention as the metal door swung closed, echoing throughout the large auditorium. He stood by, waiting patiently until she finished.

She sprung to her feet, bouncing back and forth on her toes, energetically. A layer of sweat lightly coated her skin from her morning warm up. She was wearing her black dance unitard with a tight, white t-shirt, tied in a knot above her stomach. Her hair was pushed back with a headband, exposing her hairline. She tugged a sweatband up her forearm before lifting it to her brow and wiping away the excess sweat. "Glad you could make it."

"Please, have a seat." Piccolo replied.

She stopped bouncing, resting her hands on her hips. "I'm fine standing."

"I see that. But I _did_ ask nicely." He motioned towards the bench. "If you would?"

Like a defeated teenager she dropped her arms and stomped towards the bench, reluctantly sitting down and crossing her arms.

"Why do you want to learn how to fight?" His question echoed throughout the empty gymnasium.

"Why do you want to know?"

"I already know why. But do _you_?"

Nadia turned her head down and looked at the floor. Uncrossing her arms, she began rubbing her palms together. "Ok." She paused, deciding where to begin. "When I was a kid, I used to get into a lot of trouble for fighting... I'm talking six or seven years old. When I would see older kids picking on younger kids, I would stick up for them. Because I looked so...petite, they didn't stand a chance against me. I never lost...and I was pleased with myself. I thought I was like a hero...but eventually the littler kids didn't want me to protect them anymore because I would hurt the bullies so badly." She stopped for a moment to collect her thoughts before continuing. "At any rate, my mother did not approve. The only thing I loved more than fighting was my mother, and it hurt me to disappoint her. That's when I came up with the idea to become a dancer. My mother was a dancer, and as much as she likes to believe it was entirely my idea to start dancing..."

Piccolo cleared his voice, interrupting her. "Excuse me, but at some point does this story answer my question?" Piccolo said, yawning quietly.

Nadia's eyes filled with rage and she clenched her fists, glaring at Piccolo scornfully. "You don't have to be such a jerk about it!" With her chest heaving, she slowly lowered her fists and softened her look. She closed her eyes, letting out a deep breath. "To answer your question, I've _always_ loved to fight." She opened her hands, looking at the scattering of cuts on her palms. "Saiyans are a warrior race. That was the first thing Trunks said. I used to think all the fighting was some unhealthy childhood obsession..."

"But now you know the truth. Fighting isn't an obsession, it's who you _are_."

Nadia's mouth hung open slightly as if he had taken the words right out of it. "Yes. That's right."

"Saiyans are proud, stubborn and determined in everything they do. Fighting makes them stronger; losing makes them stronger; eating makes them stronger. Believe me, I know your kind well."

"If you're some kind of Saiyan expert; then what are we waiting for?" Nadia stood up, dwarfed by Piccolo's height but completely unafraid. "Are you going to train me?"

"Pay attention. I will train you to realize the height and depth of your potential. You will question my ways at first. You will also feel more pain than you ever have before. If you want someone to kiss your boo-boo's, you can go to your mommy if you love her so much. Do you understand?"

"I understand. Thanks for the advice Professor."

Piccolo laughed. "We'll see how eager you feel tomorrow."

They walked to the center of the gymnasium, squaring off. Piccolo relaxed into a loosely held defensive stance; Nadia held both of her fists up with little to no real style or form.

"Try to hit me," Piccolo challenged. "And let me know when you give up."

Without answering him, Nadia rushed forward with the same outstanding speed she exhibited while dancing. Much faster than a human, it was obvious that her speed was due to her natural ability and all of her dance training. Gracefully, she spun in a circle, swinging a backfist at her opponent.

Piccolo raised his forearm and blocked, causing her arm to rebound harmlessly off of his, surprising her.

"Ouch!" She yelled, grabbing her hand.

"You lack proper follow through. Were you trying to hit me, really?"

She shook off the pain in her hand before reforming it into a fist. "Of course I was!" She took a step back winding up with a heavy strike, this time he blocked her efforts with his open hand. Her nose scrunched up and she bared her teeth. "Damnit! How are you doing this?"

"I'm not doing anything. You're realizing that you're weaker than you thought." Moving faster than Nadia could react, he shoved her backwards, knocking her off of her feet. "Now show me what you intend to do about it!" He yelled.

Caught off guard by his offensive parry, she scrambling to get to her feet, settling into a crouch. His taunting was finally getting under her skin, and Nadia started to get angry, gritting her teeth. Without hesitation, she jumped straight towards him. Pulling her legs back, she launched a series of alternating heel strikes at her instructor, all of which were dodged with relative ease as he stepped out range. Piccolo countered by grabbing her ankle, swinging her through the air as he turned his body in a full circle before releasing her, sending her flying across the room with unbelievable momentum.

She hit the side wall of the gym, shaking the room and leaving a small crack. When gravity took over, Nadia fell to her hands and knees from the force of the impact. Shakily, she raised her hand to her lip, wiping a fresh droplet of blood away. "Damn it."

"Didn't you suspect I might counter that attack?" Piccolo called from the other side of the room. "Having no defensive plan is a sloppy strategy for winning."

Nadia began to stand, but her knee gave out slightly, causing her to stumble. "You like hurting girls?"

"If you wanted me to treat you like a girl, you wouldn't be here. You're a warrior; and you haven't proven to be a very good one."

For the first time since their fight, Nadia's power level began to increase, catching Piccolo's attention. She clenched her teeth, causing the vein in her neck to bulge. She rushed towards him with renewed speed, so quick that she vanished from sight. When she reached him, she began pummeling him with punches, over and over, each attack making a small boom as it met a casual block from her instructor.

"Is that all it takes to get you serious; a little pain? In that case..."

There was a loud boom that resounded through the gymnasium. Nadia stopped, frozen in mid strike. Her mouth remained open and her bottom lip quivered. She would have looked at Piccolo's fist digging into her abdomen; however, the pain was too agonizing for her to think, let alone move. Her body convulsed automatically as she coughed up a stream of blood. Piccolo didn't react as the red fluid splattered silently on his white shirt. The room became blurry for Nadia as the pain radiating from her stomach started to become numb. Her vision continued to fade away until all she could see was black.

* * *

Her footsteps echoed strangely through the halls of Capsule Corp as Nadia ran. The faces of all the students she passed were blurred like smeared paint. She began to panic as confusion set in. The multitude of voice surrounding her sounded muffled and completely undecipherable, adding to her distress.

"Hello?" She called desperately, ignored by the passing students.

She pushed open the door to a classroom. The teacher and students were also blurry and unrecognizable. She squinted, but it only seemed to make things worse as colors blended into each other.

"What is this?"

She turned back to the hallway, pushing open another classroom door with the same result, all the student's were shadowy, faceless specters. Running back into the corridor, she bolted for the class at the end of the hall. Pushing the door open, she spilled in to see Trunks, looking completely normal. He was standing at the chalk board writing something.

"Trunks," She ran forward, reaching her hand out to grab his shoulder- but her fingers passed right through him, as if he wasn't there. She scrunched her nose, looking into the classroom full of blurry-faced students. Not giving up, she tried grabbing his arm again unsuccessfully. When he finished writing on the board, Trunks turned around.

She smiled, looking into his eyes. "Trunks! I'm so glad to see you."

Without acknowledging Nadia's plea, he took several steps away from the board and walked right through her. Astonished by her ethereal form, she fell to her knees as despair sank in. Although she wanted to cry, no tears came to her eyes as her heart wrenched inside of her chest.

"Why is this happening to me?" she said quietly to herself.

_"Because you're dead,"_ a quiet voice answered in her mind.

"What?" She felt a sudden rush of warmth and pressed her hands against her stomach. She looked down as a puddle of blood began forming on the floor, pooling against the wall as it continued to grow.

_"You died,"_ the voice answered.

"No, that's not true," She looked at her hands, drenched in blood. "You're a liar!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, cracking the walls of the room and breaking the tile floor into shards. Nadia stood up, turning back to the classroom. Trunks and the surreal students had vanished, but sitting in the back row by herself was a thin girl with blue skin, pointed ears and medium length blue hair. A look of surprise covered her face as she stood up and started back stepping.

"Who are you? What are you doing to me? _Answer me_!" She screamed again, and everything faded to black.

* * *

The first sound Nadia heard when she came to her senses was a slow beep. Shakily, she opened her eyes, regaining her bearings. She found herself in a room, dimly lit with cold florescent lights. She reached her hands up, locking them on the rails of the hospital-style bed where she was layed out. She made an attempt to pull herself up, but her mid-section was too sore. She winced quietly and sunk back into the bed.

"Are you alright?" Trunks said from across the room.

"Ouch... No, don't really feel all that right," she said, forcing herself to speak.

He stood up and approached the bed. "I'm sorry this happened. This is unacceptable. I'll take care of it."

"Why?" As her voice started to raise, the pain in her gut silenced her. She took a slow breath before continuing. "I knew what I was doing."

"Nadia; how am I supposed to believe that when you look like this?"

"Stop trying to protect me from myself." She winced painfully again, shutting her eyes tightly until the pain subsided. "How bad is it anyways?"

As much as he hated to change direction of the topic, Trunks walked over to the machine monitoring her vital signs. Tapping the screen, he checked her status. "You're doing better than you were twelve hours ago."

"I've been out for that long?" The sound of surprise in her voice was masked by the raspy grunting.

"You still need a lot of rest; these machines can only do so much."

"I have plans...I can't just lay around all day."

"You can leave when you're strong enough to go, alright?"

Not expecting him to be so lax, she didn't respond immediately. "Well...that's good."

He reached over and grabbed a chair, sliding it next to her bed and sitting down. "I'll be here if you need anything. I'm not going anywhere."

She turned her head away from Trunks, facing the wall. She didn't quite know how to be around him after what happened the other day at the Nawa grocery. Part of her still felt mad, but she didn't blame him for anything. As upset as she was, the pain seemed to awaken her to a new reality for the moment. "Are you the one who brought me here?" she whispered.

"Yes."

There was another long pause, the sound of the machine beeping and the hum of electricity was the only thing they could hear. Nadia spent the time wisely by choosing just the right words. "Thank you."


End file.
